To Have and To Hold
by SweetT129
Summary: Jasper and Bella thought they were living a dream until strange gifts and letters began appearing. Who they were from and what they meant was a mystery, one that was far more complicated than the lovers could ever imagine. Drama-filled!
1. 1

A/N: owns these characters. I have twisted them all for my own amusement, and hopefully yours.

Thanks to BamaBabe for beta-ing and to NCChris for talking this out with me, and to Kikikinz for putting the soap opera idea into my head.

For those of you who read this when it was a oneshot, I've divided it into chapters and am going to continue the story. You will have already read to chapter 5.

To Have and To Hold

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Forks, Washington; the kind of day that residents of the small, rainy town did not get to see often, so Jasper Whitlock decided to take advantage of it by taking his girlfriend, Bella Swan, on a picnic. It was a special day for a couple – the one year anniversary of their first date, and Jasper had every intention of making it a memorable one.

After calling Bella to let her know that he would pick her up within the hour, Jasper made sandwiches, cut up melon, and gathered some bottled water and chips, placing everything into his picnic basket. Once the food was ready, Jasper went upstairs to get his favorite plaid blanket from the bedroom closet, and, while he was there, picked up a small gift-wrapped box as well, placing it in the basket when he returned to the kitchen. He took one last glance in the hallway mirror, making sure that he looked alright, then carried the picnic supplies out to his car.

Pulling into Bella's driveway, Jasper found her standing on the front porch with a smile on her face, waiting for him. He put the car in park and hopped out, running up the front steps and wrapping his arms around her, then spun her around in a circle, peppering her face with kisses as she giggled gleefully. It was a sound that he loved, and it delighted him whenever he was the one to cause it.

Setting her back on the ground, Jasper kept his arms around her waist and grinned at her. "You all ready, Sugar?"

Bella smiled up at him, and he was sure it was the most beautiful sight in the world. "For a date with my guy? Absolutely!"

Jasper scooped her up in his arms and jumped from the porch rather than walking down the stairs, then ran to the car, both of them laughing as Bella bounced around in Jasper's arms. Arriving at the passenger door of his GMC Terrain, he let her legs slide down to the ground, then, after waiting for her to be steady on her feet, he gave her a quick smack on the ass, laughing at her squeal before running around to the other side of the car with a silly grin on his face.

Bella, once Jasper assumed his position in the driver's seat, scowled playfully at her boyfriend before reaching over and mussing his hair, an action he protested strongly.

"No! Bella, no! Not the hair," he groaned.  
Bella just laughed in response; she always found it hilarious when he complained like that, especially since she knew full well that the extent of Jasper's morning routine was to run a brush through his shoulder-length blond hair.

The happy couple spent much of the afternoon in this same playful state, running around the grassy field where they were picnicking in a playful game of cat and mouse until they wore themselves out, then feeding each other bites of melon as they relaxed on the blanket.

Their playfulness became a bit more risque when Jasper leaned in to lick Bella from her chin to her lips in order to catch a falling drop of juice from the bite of melon she had just eaten. Her soft moan at the touch of his warm tongue spurred Jasper on, and the next thing Bella knew, she was laying on her back on the blanket with her boyfriend hovering over her, his parted lips capturing her own.

He started with soft kisses, which gradually grew deeper as Bella reached up and tangled a hand in his hair, something that he loved. He took one of his hands and traced the curve of her side all the way down until he reached her knee, then grasped it, hitching it up over his hip. The kiss was passionate and both Bella and Jasper forgot the world around them until they had to pull apart, gasping for breath. When Bella opened her eyes and realized where they were, she began to giggle and gently pushed Jasper away.

"Jas, baby, we're in the park!" she whispered through her laughter.

Jasper, a slight blush coloring his cheeks, chuckled and sat up, taking her hand and pulling her up with him. "Sorry, sugar. It's so easy to forget everything else when you're around."

Bella just shook her head, and began cleaning up the mess from their lunch. When she opened the picnic basket to put the leftovers inside, Bella saw the gift box and turned to look at Jasper with a raised brow. "What's this?" she asked, holding it up.

Jasper smirked. "Open it up and find out."

Doing as he asked, Bella removed the ribbon and paper, then lifted the lid off the box. Inside she found a single silver key. "What...?"

"It's a key to my house, Bella," Jasper replied with a soft smile, reaching out to take her hands. "Move in with me."

The overjoyed expression on her face was all the answer Jasper needed, and he pulled Bella into his lap and hugged her tightly. Jasper was sure that he'd never been happier.

Standing back in the shadows behind the trees near the edge of the field, however, was a man who did not feel the same way. As he watched the happy couple embrace, celebrating the step they were about to take together, the man glared at them, jealous and seething with anger that Jasper dared touch _his_ girl that way.

The next afternoon, Bella, still riding a high from the day before, was sitting in a salon with her best friend, and Jasper's sister, Rosalie. The two met there weekly, at Rosalie's invitation, to get manicures and have a little bit of time for "girl talk" while Jasper and Rosalie's husband, Emmett, engaged in more masculine pursuits, like watching sports.

Bella had met Rosalie a few years prior, soon after she returned to Forks from Phoenix, where she had attended college, when Bella was working at the small coffee shop she had bought in the center of town. Rosalie had been a regular customer, and the two had gotten to know each other, bonding over their mutual enjoyment of chocolate cupcakes and open-mic nights. They'd been best friends ever since.

"So, Bella... What's new?" Rose asked, saying it in a way that implied that she already had an idea of what her friend's answer might be, as she chose a bright red nail polish bottle and handed it to the manicurist.

Bella couldn't stop the wide smile from appearing, nor the flush of pink that immediately colored her cheeks. "Jasper and I are moving in together!" she cried, not bothering with a preamble.

Rosalie clapped her hands and reached over to squeeze Bella's hand. "I'm so happy for you, Bells," she said. "This is such exciting news!"

Nodding her head, Bella agreed. "I can hardly believe it. I'm on cloud nine, Rose."

Rosalie slipped her fingertips back into the bowl of warm water as she smiled warmly at her friend. "I can see it in your eyes," she replied. "You and Jasper are so perfect together, Bells. I can't wait until the day that he makes you my sister for real."

Bella smiled, her eyes glistening with tears. "It's all thanks to you, Rose."

Her words were true in so many ways. When the girls first met, Bella was dating a young man named Edward Cullen. Edward was the son of one of the most highly-respected doctors in the state, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Having been raised by very wealthy parents who had doted on their only son endlessly, Edward had developed a bit of a sense of entitlement. He was not used to being denied anything, and this had begun to be apparent in his relationship with Bella. Rosalie, having spent her college years in an abusive relationship, recognized the signs as she and Bella grew closer, and it was with her urging and support that Bella found the strength to leave Edward before his controlling behavior became dangerous.

"I'm just glad that my bad experience made me able to save you from yours," Rosalie said genuinely. It had taken her years of therapy and the gentle love of her now-husband, Emmett McCarty, but Rosalie had finally regained her strength.

"I wish you hadn't had to go through it," Bella said. She was such a empathetic girl that thinking of her friend's struggles still made her heart hurt.

Rosalie shook her head. "Don't be. It was terrible, yes, but it got me to where I am today. And don't forget to thank me for sharing my brother with you," she added with a teasing smile.

It was true; Bella had met Jasper after Rosalie convinced him to perform at open-mic night at Bella's coffee shop. Not knowing that he was her friend's brother, Bella sat down beside Rosalie in the audience and watched the handsome blonde man sing and play. Rosalie had laughed softly when she looked over and saw Bella's glazed-over eyes, knowing immediately that her friend had a crush on her brother. At the end of the night, Rosalie took Bella by the hand and dragged her across the shop to introduce the two.

Smiling at the memory, Bella kissed the air in Rosalie's direction. "Love at first sight," she said. "I can never thank you enough."

Rosalie pursed her lips and shook her head. "Just name your first born after me, then we'll be even," she said, winking.

The two women laughed, and then turned the subject to the newest movie that was out in theaters and the possibility of convincing their men to take them on a double date to see it.

A few days later, Bella and Jasper were hard at work unpacking the boxes that Bella had brought over from her old house. The two had worked out a compromise on the larger furniture items and kitchen appliances, choosing which of their things they liked best and calling the local battered woman's shelter to donate the rest.

As the two worked side by side in the kitchen, putting away glassware, they were disrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. They looked at each other and, deciding that now was as good a time as any for a break, both set down what they were holding and walked to the front door with Jasper's arm wrapped around Bella's waist.

Jasper opened the door to reveal a delivery man holding a large bouquet of blood-red roses. "I've got a delivery here for...Miss Bella Swan," he said, looking down at his delivery sheet.

Bella, who was rather shocked to see the beautiful flowers, looked at Jasper with an expression that was half loving and half scolding. "Why did you do this, Jasper? You know it's not necessary."

"_I _didn't," her boyfriend replied, holding his hands up in the air as Bella signed for the flowers. "But is there a card or something? Because I sure as hell would like to know who did."

Taking the flowers from the delivery man, Bella searched for, but did not find, a card. She shook her head at Jasper. "Nothing."

Furrowing his brow in confusion, Jasper asked the man, whose name tag he now saw read Eric, if he knew who had sent the flowers.

"Sorry man," Eric replied. "I just drive the truck. You could call the store, they might have a record of it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "Here, that's the number right down there."

Jasper thanked him and closed the door, then turned to Bella. "Who would send you roses, Sugar?" he asked. "Red ones, at that?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "There are very few people who even know that I live here now, Jas. I have no idea."

As Bella went into the kitchen to search for a vase amongst her boxes, Jasper called the florist, only to find out that the order had been placed anonymously. Feeling rather irritated, and maybe even a little bit suspicious, he returned to the kitchen to help Bella finish unpacking.

After a long weekend of moving his girlfriend into his house, Jasper returned to the office building where he worked as psychiatrist. He spent the morning with three of his regular patients, then he had an hour break for lunch. He would often walk the few blocks distance to Bella's coffee shop and eat with her, but he was starting a new therapy group the hour after lunch, and wanted to use his hour to prepare.

Jasper made notes in his pad in between bites of sandwich, and was just finishing up when his secretary, Jessica, brought in the mail. While most people in his position would leave the task of opening mail to the secretary, Jasper preferred to do it himself. It was one of the many small things that he did to make sure that his practice was run the way that he wanted it to be.

Flipping through the pile of envelopes, he separated them into three piles: bills, insurance payments, and personal mail. Checking the clock and determining that he had sufficient time to accomplish everything, he opened the bills and payments first, entering the information into his computer banking file, then setting them in a pile for Jessica to mail and deposit. Once that was finished, he looked at the two personal mail envelopes. The first was a wedding invitation from a patient who he had counseled through some difficult sexual issues. The invitation made him smile; it was something like a large sign that said "success" that he could hang in the woman's file, and he felt proud to have helped someone better their life.

The second piece of mail, however, did not make him feel good at all. When he pulled the paper out of the envelope, he found that the words on it were neither typed nor hand-written, but instead a variety of glued-on letters that had been cut out of magazines. Jasper looked at it, puzzled by the words that he read:

"Enjoy your time with her – it won't last."

After reading and re-reading the words several times, Jasper still felt very uneasy. He decided to do what he always did when he was unsure of the best course of action: he called his father.

Peter Whitlock was probably the best father a young man could ever have asked for, at least as far as Jasper was concerned. He was a kind-hearted man, but tough. He would go to the ends of the earth for his family, and they all knew it. He had made his career as an architect, but even after moving to Washington state from Texas, he and his wife Charlotte always kept a ranch where they raised horses. As a father, even if his words were often infuriatingly indirect, Peter had always been ready with advice. He had taught Jasper about horses and cars, about books and history and the meaning of family. He had taught him by example how to love and respect a woman. And even as a grown man himself, Jasper still idolized his father as much as he had when he was a child.

Peter answered on the third ring. "Jasper!" he exclaimed.

Jasper laughed, shaking his head. His father always knew who was calling, even without the use of caller ID. "Hey, Dad," Jasper replied. "I don't have a lot of time, I've got patients arriving in ten. But something weird is happening, and I wanted to know what you thought."

"Lay it on me, kid," Peter answered, sitting down on his porch and putting his boot-clad feet up on the railing, and listened as Jasper recalled the flowers and the odd letter. By the time he finished, Peter was sitting straight up in his chair. Peter was known to have very good intuition about things, and this didn't feel right to him at all.

"Jasper, hang up with me, and call Chief Swan directly. I don't like the way this feels at all. And you take care of our Bella, you hear me?"  
Jasper, despite feeling rather nervous due to his father's reaction, smiled at Peter's words. It warmed Jasper's heart to see how much Bella was already a part of his family. One day, he would make it official.

"I'll call him right now, Dad. Thank you."

"Anytime, Jasper. I love you, son."

Jasper returned the sentiment, and asked his father to pass his love to his mother as well, then hung up the phone. Looking at the clock, he saw that he didn't have time to call the chief before his group session, but made a mental note to do it immediately thereafter.

The chief of police, Charlie Swan, was Bella's father, and when Jasper told him about his concerns, the chief promised to be at their house immediately following his shift. Charlie hung up the phone already feeling a nervous discomfort in his gut. Both his detective and fatherly instincts were on high alert. Bella may have been a grown woman, but she would always be his little girl, and he had seen her hurt too many times already. He swore to himself that he would not let it happen again.

Later that evening, over plates of spaghetti and meatballs – Charlie's favorite dish – Bella and Jasper gave him all of the details regarding the flowers and the magazine-clipped letter. Charlie asked the couple if there was anyone they could think of who might be behind this, but neither had any theories. Bella said that she had no new customers at the shop, or even old ones, for that matter, that had been overtly flirtatious, and the list of people who would know to send roses for Bella at Jasper's house rather than at her own was extremely small.

Just as the chief was putting away his pocket notepad, ready to say goodbye to his daughter and her boyfriend so that he could go home and spend the remainder of the evening with his wife, Renee, the doorbell rang.

All three looked toward the door with furrowed brows, wondering who might be on the other side. Jasper was the first to move, and he walked over to open the door, revealing a courier holding a small package.

"I've got a delivery for Bella Swan," he said, holding out the box to Jasper.

"Yeah," Jasper replied, accepting the package. "She's here. Thank you."

"No problem, man," the courier replied, turning to walk away.

"Hey, wait just a minute," Chief Swan called, jogging over to the door and holding up his badge. "Who sent this package?"

The young man shook his head. "I don't know, officer. I just deliver 'em, I don't take 'em in."

Frustrated, Charlie took down the contact information for the company that the young man worked for, planning to call them first thing in the morning, then walked back into the house and looked at Jasper. "Alright, let's see what's in here."

Jasper ripped the top of the packaging and reached inside, then pulled out a CD case with a homemade cover. He held it out to Bella. "Sugar, put this in the player, will ya?"

Bella took the case from Jasper and took it over to the entertainment center, pressing the button to open the player, then opened the case to take the disc out. A note fell out of the case and onto the floor, and Bella bent down to pick it up after she placed the disc into the player. As she unfolded the slip of paper, she turned in surprise at the sound of REO Speedwagon's _In My Dreams_ coming through the speakers.

"I can't wait to dance with you," she read aloud. Bella looked up at her father and Jasper, her face a picture of confusion, and gestured toward the CD player. "What the hell is this?"

Jasper picked up the remote and began skipping through the songs, listening to each track just long enough to identify it. The songs ran the gamut of musical styles, but they were all rather sappy, slow-dance-worthy love songs. Jasper growled low in his chest, angered that someone was sending roses and love songs to _his_ girl.

Hearing him, Charlie reached over and rested a hand on the young man's shoulder, hoping to calm him. Like any good father, Charlie had always been convinced that no man would ever be worthy of his little girl, but he had to admit, Jasper Whitlock was as close as any man could ever get.

"Take the disc out and give it to me, Bells," Charlie directed. "I'll take it down to the station. Hopefully we can pick up some prints," he said as he took the disc and case from his daughter. "Don't worry, baby girl, I won't let anyone hurt you."

Charlie kissed Bella on her forehead and walked toward the front door. He paused there, turning back toward Jasper. "You take care of my Bells while I work on this, okay?"  
"Always," Jasper replied, slipping his arm around Bella and pulling her close.


	2. 2

A/N: S. Meyer owns the characters. I've merely twisted them for my own (and hopefully your) amusement.

Thanks to BamaBabe, NCChris, and LacyM3, who helped me with beta-ing and talking this out. Love you all.

To Have and To Hold

Chapter 2

The next week was quiet for Jasper and Bella as they continued settling Bella into the house and getting used to living their lives under one roof. They were both relieved that they received no more strange packages or letters. To celebrate the last box being unpacked on Thursday night, Jasper suggested that they take Friday off of work and go to his parents' ranch near Bank's Lake. Bella was thrilled by the idea and quickly agreed; she loved spending time with the Whitlocks, especially when it was out on the ranch where they could go riding – Jasper looked amazingly sexy up on a horse.

Friday evening was spent in the back yard of Peter and Charlotte's ranch sitting around a large bonfire, making s'mores, telling stories, and listening to Jasper and Peter play their guitars together in perfect harmony, with Emmett lending his deep, soulful vocals to a number of songs as well. Bella was able to leave all of her worries back in Forks and just relax with Charlotte and Rosalie.

Jasper was never happier with the layout of his parents' ranch – a decent-sized main house for Peter and Charlotte to live in, with several guest cabins a few hundred yards off, one each for their children plus two others for guests – than he was after the bonfire on Friday night. Watching Bella's beautiful smile lit by the firelight all night had his mind consumed by the thought of feeling those lips pressed against his own and her body moving underneath him. The privacy tonight was going to be well worth the many times he had been forced to walk through the rain to get to the main house.

As the two walked down to their cabin, Jasper whispered teasing words to Bella, letting her know his intentions for her, so that, by the time they could see their house, Bella had broken in to a jog in her hurry to get there. Being the gentleman that he was, Jasper held the door open for Bella, but then, forgetting his manners altogether, let the door slam shut as he pressed his body to Bella's against the wall, kissing her hard. A few minutes later, Bella pushed hard against Jasper's chest, forcing him to step backwards, pushing him across the room. Jasper stopped kissing her just long enough to pull down the quilt, and then the two collapsed into the bed.

In the heat of their passion and the darkness of the night, neither noticed the pale-skinned face peering into their bedroom window from outside as it was lit by the moonlight.

The next morning, Bella and Jasper made their way up to the main house in time for breakfast. Charlotte, as everyone had come to expect, had made a full spread, including blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage links, biscuits, and even hot cinnamon apples. There was nothing that Jasper loved more than his Mama's big country breakfasts, and he was once again thrilled that the move to Washington hadn't taken the country out of Charlotte Whitlock.

"Good morning, you two," Charlotte said with a teasing smile. "Wasn't sure we'd see you up here before lunch."

Bella, always quick to blush, felt her face warming instantly. "Is it late?" she asked, looking for the clock.

"No," Charlotte replied with a soft giggle. "I just thought you might sleep in late this morning."

Jasper raised a brow at his mother as he saw her wink, wondering what she was up to, but decided it was better not to ask when his expression led to her resting her face in her palms to try to ease her giggles.

When Charlotte finally gathered herself again, she gave Bella a shove toward the food. "Better get eatin' before Jas finishes off your portion too," she said, glancing over at Jasper's huge piles of food. "You and Rose and I are going for a ride in a little while, so fill up."

Bella did as she was told, taking generous portions of apples and biscuits, which were her favorites, and sat down beside Jasper to eat.

A few hours later, Jasper was sitting on the front porch with Peter, both with a cool beer in their hands. Emmett had taken his Jeep into town to get some more drinks for the evening and pick up a few things that Rosalie had forgotten. Enjoying the quiet for a bit, Jasper looked out at the cloudy sky and tried not to think about the letter that was sitting in his pocket.

"So," Peter said, turning to Jasper with a smirk. "Have a good night last night?"  
"Yeah, dad," Jasper said, his brow furrowed with confusion. "The bonfire was nice. What's with you and Mama this morning?"

Peter chuckled softly and shook his head. "It would do you well to remember that we installed those intercoms in all the cabins to communicate with the main house." Peter's chuckles turned into full-blown laughter as the color drained from his son's face. "Don't worry, we turned it off." He grimaced. "Not quite as quickly as we wanted to though..."

Jasper dropped his head into his lap, groaning in embarrassment as his father clapped him on the back.

"Now quit your wailin', son," Peter scolded. "You're a grown man, and it's not as if your Mama and I don't..."  
"Dad!" Jasper cried, desperate to end the conversation. He may have been a grown man, but he did not want to hear his father talking about sex with his mother. Peter may have been one of Jasper's best friends in the world, but a line had to be drawn somewhere.

Desperate to change the subject, Jasper reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Dad, did those intercoms of yours hear anything else, last night?" he asked seriously.

Peter shook his head. "No, but what's that you've got there?"

Jasper handed Peter the paper, watching as his father opened it and read the words, which were once again made up of letters cut out of magazines: "Your time is running out. Don't worry, she'll be happy with me."

The two men sat in silence for a couple of minutes as they studied the words that had been glued to the page, and then, at the same moment, they lifted their eyes up from the page and stared at each other, matching expressions of worry on their faces.

"This is not good, Jasper," Peter said with a shake of his head. "When did you get this?"

Jasper swallowed hard before he replied, knowing by Peter's initial reaction that the answer would not be taken well. "I found it on the door to my cabin when I went back after breakfast this morning."

Jasper's nervous confession, fueled by worry for Bella, was met by a fierce rage building in Peter's deep blue eyes, and the two stared at each other for a moment in silence.

The next evening, Chief Charlie Swan was pacing around the interrogation room of the Fork's police station, making slow circles around Edward Cullen. He was sure that the young man was to blame for the stalking of his daughter and the threatening notes left for her boyfriend, and the fact that he had been coincidentally out of town when he had gone to pick him up for questioning after receiving a call from Peter and Jasper Whitlock on Saturday afternoon was only making Charlie's case against Cullen worse.

"You dated Bella for a long time," Charlie mused aloud. "She broke up with you, though. Why do you think that was, Edward?"

"I couldn't tell you, Chief Swan. Most girls think I'm quite the catch."

Charlie was not the least bit amused by Edward's ego. "You might be," he replied. "More so when your mouth is closed," he added with a sneer. "But we're not here because of your pretty boy looks. We're here to talk about how you are stalking my daughter and her boyfriend."

"Stalking?" Edward asked incredulously. "I don't know what in the hell you are talking about." He sat back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest, and then a smug smile crossed his face. "Don't you think it's a bit of a conflict of interest for you to be on this case, Chief?"

The tone of the young man's voice when he called Charlie by his title was insolent, and it took every amount of professional restraint that he possessed to keep himself from reaching across the table to strangle Edward.

"I do not, actually. I do, however, think you ought to stick to answering questions rather than asking them. You're in enough trouble as it is without pissing off the Chief of Police. I'm pretty sure you don't want a constant police escort for the next ten years, do you?" Charlie leaned his elbows on the table, bringing his face close to Edward's, and let the anger in his eyes show. "Because I can promise you, if you piss me off, Cullen, I _will_ put you away."

Edward Cullen, smug as ever, flashed a crooked smile at the police chief. It was the same smile he used for charming women. He wasn't the slightest bit worried about Charlie Swan's threats – if there was one thing that Edward had learned in his life, it was the money really _could_ buy anything, and that included an excellent defense attorney.

Charlie, on the other hand, was proving the theory of genetics right once again, as he, like his daughter, was completely unimpressed by Edward Cullen's trademarked charm routine. He rolled his eyes and began his questioning once again.

"Don't think I've forgotten your history, Edward. You've always gone to any length to get your way. I remember very well when Bella called me to help her reinstall the engine parts you removed from her car so that she couldn't go visit her friends," Charlie said, raising his brow.

Edward was unimpressed. "No charges filed, as I'm sure you remember, chief."

Charlie shook his head. He _did _remember, but that didn't make it piss him off any less. He hated how many times he had been forced to let his young man off the hook because his parents had bought his way out of trouble, or, in cases like the one he had just mentioned, he had charmed his way out of it. Charlie's only source of relief in the matter was the simple fact that his Bella had possessed the strength to walk away from him.

"Where were you on Saturday, Mr. Cullen?" Charlie demanded.

"I was out of town, visiting my girlfriend," came Edward's quick reply.

"Girlfriend, huh?" Charlie asked, not sure what to think. "And who is this girlfriend?"  
"I'd rather not say," Edward said. "It's pretty early on... She's not ready to tell people."  
"Perhaps that's because _she_ is not yet aware of your relationship?" Charlie asked, seeing the loophole and diving at it.

Edward sneered. "She's well aware, Chief. I'm a Cullen. Unlike _some_ men, I make myself rather hard to forget."

Charlie did not miss Edward's dig, and he was once again furious. Taking a deep breath, Charlie tried to calm himself, knowing that he needed to be professional.

"I don't care what she is ready for. This is a police investigation. And unless you want to see what the inside of a cell looks like – and let me promise you, Edward, a pretty boy like you does _not_ want to see the inside of a jail cell – then you _will _get her in here to alibi you."

"I can do you one better, Chief," Edward said in a bored voice as he reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone. He dialed a number and held it up to his ear, and Charlie waited patiently to see who the young man was calling. "Hello, this is Edward Cullen. Yes, I know it's Sunday night, but Mr. Jenks told me I could call any time I needed him."

Charlie Swan growled in anger as he walked out of the interrogation room, slamming the door behind him. Edward Cullen had lawyered-up.

A few days later, a man entered a jewelry store in the northern sector of Seattle. It was an out of the way place, very much a "mom and pop" type store, owned by a couple who had immigrated from Israel some thirty years before. The man wore a black fedora pulled low over his eyes, concealing much of his face from the public.

He browsed the showcase that held the necklaces for a few moments before making his decision and signaling the owner over to assist him. Pointing down at a 24 karat gold necklace with a heart pendant, he let the man know that he was ready to make a purchase.

The elderly gentleman, while slightly wary of the stranger in his store, was happy to make a sale, so he immediately took the piece out. "Would you like this wrapped?" he asked in a kind voice that still held a strong accent. "My wife is very skilled at wrapping. It will be beautiful for your... wife?"

"Girlfriend," the stranger corrected. She'd be his wife soon enough, though. He'd make sure of that. "And yes, gift wrapping would be really nice. She'll like that."

The man waited patiently while the wife wrapped the necklace and the owner counted his money – he paid cash, of course, not wanting to leave a receipt that could tie him to this shop. He didn't say much to the couple. Really, he was doing his best to remain invisible. The only thing he thought about was Bella, and how soon he would hold her in his arms.

"Would you like to add a note to this, sir?" the owner's wife asked.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. Knowing that he didn't want his own handwriting to be traced back, he thought of an alternate plan. "My handwriting is terrible, though. Would you mind writing it for me? I'd like it to say 'Bella, my heart has always been yours.'"

The kind old woman smiled, thinking how sweet this stranger was, and how much he was clearly in love with his girlfriend, this girl he called Bella. She was a very lucky girl.

Taking the wrapped package from the woman and thanking them both for their help, the man left the store as quietly as he had come into it, and walked down the street to the courier and sent the package to Bella's new address. He made a face as he recited the house numbers to the cashier, hating the fact that she lived there with _him_. Not for much longer, though. Soon, she'd be his.

He left the courier, walking several blocks down the street to the car. No one had recognized him, and, as always, he'd left no traces of himself to be found. Satisfied, he got on the road to drive back to Forks. It had been too long since he'd seen her.

Back in Forks, Renee Swan sat in the art studio that her husband had built for her in the backyard of their house, just on the edge of the forest, staring at a lump of clay, her brow furrowed with concentration. It had been over a year since she had shaped clay into anything worth keeping. Over a year since she had felt inspired. Over a year since Carlisle Cullen had last touched her body.

Frustrated with her still-missing muse, Renee picked up the clay and threw it against the wall, letting out a long, piercing scream as it flew through the air. Putting her elbows on the table and holding her head in her hands, Renee thought back to the day thirteen months ago when everything had gone wrong.

She and Carlisle had arranged to meet at his hunting cabin for the evening. It was something that the two had been doing for seven months, beginning soon after Carlisle had entered her art studio to commission a piece for Esme Cullen's birthday and found himself more interested in the eclectic artist herself. Renee had fallen head over heels for the doctor, and both her artwork and the passion between the two had flourished.

It had been wonderful between then until that one awful night. The night that Esme had decided to surprise her husband at his hunting cabin for a evening that she hoped would re-ignite the spark between them. Carlisle had been in the shower when Esme arrived – Renee had complained that he smelled like disinfectant from the hospital, so he had gone in to freshen up while she waited naked in bed for him. The scene unfolded in what Renee would still swear was slow motion. Esme and Carlisle entered the bedroom at the same moment, and, had she not been in a very precarious position, Renee might have laughed at the matching expressions of horrified shock that each member of the party wore.

The next moment was the one that broke Renee's heart and ended her affair with Carlisle forever. Carlisle's mouth was gaping open as his terrified eyes darted back and forth between his wife and his lover, until finally, he spoke. "Renee?" he asked, sounding completely confused. "What are you doing in my cabin? And why on earth are you naked?"  
In that moment, Carlisle had made his choice clear, and Renee loved him too much to hurt him, so she played along, pretending that she had come to the cabin with the intention of seducing the doctor for the very first time. She left his cabin in disgrace after being sufficiently berated by her lover's wife, and Carlisle's only contact since that night had been a type-written note slipped under the door of her studio. It said, simply, "I'm sorry. Good-bye." Those three words had shattered Renee.

The sound of her studio door opening startled Renee out of her thoughts, and she quickly wiped away the single tear that was gliding down her cheek and turned to see who had arrived. She was very unpleasantly surprised to see that it was none other than Esme Cullen.

Doing her best to appear composed, Renee spoke first. "Hello, Mrs. Cullen. Can I help you?"

Esme rolled her eyes. "Don't bother with the formalities, Renee. You act like we're business associates. I think that you and I have seen enough of each other to be on a first name basis, don't you?"

Esme's polite words were spoken with such vitriol that each syllable felt like a slap in the face. Renee, however, was determined not to be pulled into a fight.

"Alright, Esme," she replied. "What can I do for you today?"  
Esme set her purse down on one of Renee's display tables. "You can get your husband to back off of my son, that's what you can do," she snapped.

Renee was confused. Even though the case was about their daughter, Charlie Swan had always had a rule against talking about open cases when he was at home, so she knew nothing of his investigation of Edward Cullen.

"What are you talking about, Esme?"

"I'm talking about your husband making it his mission to ruin my son's life," Esme sneered. "He has accused Edward of stalking your daughter, and is making it his business to cause as much trouble for him as possible. I'm telling you right now, Renee, if my son's future is destroyed by your husband, I will make sure that your marriage is destroyed as well. I am a mother, Renee. I will do what I have to for my son. But please, don't turn me into the type of woman who becomes between another woman and her husband. I really hate those types."

The smile on Esme's face as she finished speaking turned Renee's stomach. It was amazing how the woman could appear so sweet while spewing such hate. As Renee considered Esme's threats, she knew that she did not have a choice. Just like she had been unable to hurt Carlisle, it was just as impossible for her to let Charlie be destroyed by her betrayal.

"I'll take care of it," she replied, resigned.

Esme gave one last sugary-sweet smile. "I knew you would."

Picking up her purse and wearing a smug smile, Esme turned on her Christian Louboutin heel and walked out of the studio, leaving Renee standing, still rather shell-shocked, staring at the door that closed in her wake.

Jasper arrived at his house late on Wednesday evening, having gone to play basketball with Emmett after work, and found a note from Bella saying that she had gone to visit her parents and would be home around eight. Jasper looked at his watch and saw that he had nearly half an hour before she would be home, so he decided that shower and change so that they could watch a movie together and relax after she arrived.

Jasper took a long, hot shower, letting the heat of the water relax his tired muscles as he got himself clean. When he was finished, he opened the shower door just enough to reach out and grab his towel, rubbing it over his long blond hair and then wrapping it around his waist before he stepped out of the steamy cubicle, his pleasant relaxed feeling ending the moment that he did so.

Taped onto the mirror that hung over his sink was another note composed with magazine letters. Jasper stiffened as he read the words. "Give her up. Now. This is your last chance."

"What the fuck is going on?" he yelled, irritated, but also a bit worried that the writer of the note was still inside his house, as he was sure the note had not been hanging there before his shower. He looked all around himself, but saw nothing else out of the ordinary, so he reached for his cell phone, which sat on the edge of the sink, and paused for a moment as he wondered whether he should call Bella first, or Charlie.

Hoping that Bella was still with her parents, he decided to dial the chief first so that he could send a patrol car out to check the house before Bella returned. He heard the first ring, but never got the chance to speak to Charlie before his world went black.

The man in the ski mask was cleaning up his mess in the house when he heard the door open downstairs. He knew that it was Bella entering, but this was not the way he had planned their first encounter. Sure that she wouldn't recognize him when he came back for her later, he ran as fast as he could through the hall and down the stairs, accidentally bumping into the beautiful girl as he flew past her near the top of the staircase. He was moving so quickly and with so much purpose that he did not even hear her scream as the contact caused her to lose her balance. He did not turn back to see her desperately reaching out for anything that would save her from falling. And he certainly did not know that, as he slammed the door of his car shut and sped away, Bella was laying unconscious at the bottom of the staircase.


	3. 3

A/N: owns all recognizable elements of Twilight. I have twisted her characters. A lot.

Thanks to BamaBabe, NCChris, and LacyM3. I couldn't have done this without them.

To Have and To Hold

Chapter 3

When Bella next opened her eyes, she was rather confused. Bright lights were directly above her, making it difficult to see, so she quickly closed her eyes once again. There was a loud, steady, digital-sounding beeping that quickly began to annoy her, and it took only seconds before she was reaching out in search of the snooze button. The sudden movement, however, was immediately followed by a low moan, as it seemed that every inch of her body was aching.

"What's going on?" she mumbled, her voice raspy.

"Bella?"

"Oh my god, she's awake!"

"Sweetheart, are you okay?"  
The three distinctly female voices spoke at once. Unsure of why they were all in her bedroom, Bella furrowed her brow and attempted to open her eyes again.

"What are you doing here? God, can't someone turn off the lights? It's so damn bright in here."

Through her closed lids, she could tell that the brightness dimmed, and so she tried once again to open her eyes, this time successfully. She looked up at the three women standing beside her bed, not recognizing any of them. "What are you doing in my bedroom?" she asked again.

The taller blonde reached out and took her hand. "You had an accident, Bells. You're in the hospital."

Bella was now extremely confused. They weren't wearing scrubs, so she knew they weren't nurses. "Who are you?"

Bella watched as their faces fell, and tears streamed down the face of the woman with reddish-brown hair. The two blondes also seemed like they wanted to cry.

"You don't know who I am?" the crying woman asked.

Bella shook her head, feeling terribly guilty for upsetting this stranger.

The second blonde woman, the older of the two, reached out and pulled the crying woman into an embrace, seemingly trying to comfort her. Bella heard her whispered attempts to soothe the woman, which were interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

Bella, as well as the three women, turned toward the door and watched as a tall man with slightly silvered blond hair entered the room, wearing a white coat over his dress shirt and dockers.

"Hello, Dr Cullen," the three chorused, while Bella, who did not recognize the doctor, stayed silent, watching them. She noticed the slight red flush coloring the cheeks of the crying woman and watched as she quickly averted her eyes from the doctor. Not wanting to make her more uncomfortable, Bella quickly looked away.

"Well well, it looks like our patient has finally woken up," the doctor said with a smile after returning the women's greetings. "How are you feeling, Bella?"

"My mouth is dry," she rasped. "And that beeping is going to drive me crazy."

"Don't worry, we can take care of that," he replied, immediately reaching over and turning off the volume on the machine that was creating all the racket, and then picking up a large glass of water from her bedside table and handing it to her. "Here, drink up. It's been several days for you."

"Days?" she asked, confused once again.  
"Yes, Bella," the doctor replied. "You were in a coma for five days. You took quite a fall down the stairs at your house. Do you remember?"  
Bella shook her head. She didn't remember that her house even had stairs. She swore that when she moved back to Forks after college, she had taken a ranch-style house with only one floor.

"Bella, what is the last thing you remember?" the doctor asked.

Bella thought for a moment. "Mrs Cope," she said thoughtfully. "She was congratulating me on buying the coffee shop. I had just signed the papers." She smiled, proud to have remembered such an important event. She hoped that her five days of rest in the hospital hadn't put the re-design too far off schedule.

When Bella looked up at the doctor, though, he was frowning. She turned to the three women, whose expressions were similar. "What is it?" she asked, not feeling comfortable anymore.

"Bella," the doctor said. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. It seems that your fall has caused you to develop amnesia."

Two weeks later, Dr. Cullen's diagnosis had settled in, and Bella's body had completely healed. Her brain, however, had not done as well as her body. She still struggled to remember anything that had occurred in the past three years, and that meant that she was being forced to "meet" her best friend and her boyfriend all over again. It was difficult on all three, though everyone mentioned how well Jasper seemed to be taking it. He was exceptionally patient with Bella, and treated her with tenderness and affection, not wanting her to feel at all pressured to remember their past, focusing instead on their future together.

When Dr. Cullen left the room that morning, after announcing that Bella would be released from the hospital at noon, her family – which included Jasper's family as well – began to plan. Renee asked Bella if she'd like to stay in her parents' home while he worked on getting her memory back, but Bella, who was already falling in love with Jasper for a second time, insisted that going back to the way things were before the accident was a better idea. So it was arranged.

Chief Swan, upon hearing the news that Bella would be leaving the protection of his 24-hour guard at the hospital, immediately announced that he would be putting a tail on Edward Cullen. Renee stiffened when she heard this. She knew that, if the Cullens were to notice the officer following their son, Esme would most certainly follow through with her threat. She needed a plan, and quickly.

"Charlie," Renee called. "I'm in the mood for coffee. Would you mind walking down to the cafeteria with me?"

Charlie Swan, never one to disappoint his wife, quickly agreed, and the two set off together down the hall. Renee waited until they were in the privacy of the elevator before she addressed her husband.

"Charlie, dear, I think maybe you're over-reacting about the Cullen boy. Nothing has happened in the past two weeks. Surely, with his father as the doctor, Edward would have known Bella was in the hospital and sent flowers or something had he been the one. Don't you agree?"

Charlie was perplexed. He couldn't understand why his wife was defending the boy when he was sure that Edward was guilty. "Edward is a smart boy, Renee," Charlie said gruffly. "It's because his father is her doctor that he stayed away. There's no doubt in my mind that he's the one we're after."

Renee sighed. She hadn't expected Charlie to be so hard to convince, but she could see that she was in for a difficult battle here. "Charlie, it was probably just a prank. I really don't think there's as much cause to worry as you're thinking here. You're a policeman, you're trained to think the worst, I know that. But you can't fly off the handle and go after Edward Cullen without cause."

"Why are you so worried about the Cullen kid?" Charlie asked, his suspicions now raised. Charlie Swan was a detective by training. He may not always voice his thoughts, but he was most definitely not oblivious. He had seen the way that his wife behaved around Dr. Cullen, and her jumping to his son's defense now was nothing if not suspect.

"I'm not worried about him," Renee quickly replied, though she seemed to be struggling to find words and looked very nervous. "I'm just... I just... I don't want you to hurt your career railroading this kid over a prank."

Charlie was relieved when the elevator doors opened. Renee's reply had only confirmed his suspicions, and he was ready to get her out of his sight. He stepped out through the doors and then turned back toward his wife. "I will look after my career, Renee. But you'd do well to stop talking to me now. If anything is in danger of being hurt right now, it's our marriage."

Charlie's phone rang as he stepped out of the elevator. "Chief Swan," he answered.

The detective on the other end of the line was one of his best – Officer Seth Clearwater. He informed Charlie that he had just found evidence that Edward Cullen had purchased a dozen roses from a local florist on the same day that the first gift appeared at Bella and Jasper's house. It was the last bit of confirmation that Charlie needed, and he thanked Seth before hanging up the phone.

Charlie turned back toward his wife. "So much for your theory about Cullen's innocence. I'll be home later."

With that said, Charlie stormed off down the hall, leaving Renee standing alone in the open elevator, her hand reaching out toward the door, her whispered "stop" unheard. A tear fell down Renee's cheek as she watched her husband disappear around the corner, and she wondered how much longer she had before her whole world fell apart.

Later that afternoon, Bella was back at the house she shared with Jasper, sitting on the kitchen counter while Rosalie showed her where everything was kept in the kitchen. Rosalie had been an amazing friend throughout the entire ordeal, and Bella could easily see why they were best friends. She just wished that she could remember the friendship that they had already shared too.

Once Rosalie was convinced that Bella was well-versed on the location of every item in the kitchen and could ace a pop quiz on the subject, the two retired into the living room to relax. Much of the time they spent talking was similar to story hour for Bella, since she always asked Rosalie to tell her stories about her relationship with Jasper, since he seemed so unwilling to revisit the past with her.

As the two sat on the soft leather couch, Rosalie told Bella about the first time that Jasper had taken Bella out to the ranch to meet his parents. She was describing the layout of the ranch when Bella suddenly gasped.

"What is it, Bells?" Rosalie asked her friend.

"I remember! Rose, I remember!"  
Rose tried to contain her excitement. "What do you remember, Bella?"

"The cabin – the one where Jasper and I sleep. There's a light green quilt on the bed...and Jasper always pulls it down before we..." Bella stopped talking and blushed, but Rosalie grabbed her hands and squeezed them in excitement.

"That's right! Bella, you remembered! This is great news!"

Bella, forgetting her slight embarrassment, allowed Rosalie's excitement to carry her as well, and the two girls were soon hugging happily.

"What's all the excitement in here?" Jasper called from the hallway, having entered the house just in time to hear Rosalie declaring something to be great news.

Rosalie turned with a wide smile for her brother. "Jas, Bella remembers your bedroom back at the ranch! Isn't that great?"

It seemed that Rosalie's enthusiasm was enough for two people, but not three, and Jasper's reaction to the news wasn't nearly as joyful as his sister would have hoped. "Yeah," he replied, sounding more like he had been asked if he'd like to have a root canal. He must have heard it too, because his next words, which he spoke as he walked to Bella to hug her, sounded much less uncomfortable. "That's wonderful, Sugar. Maybe you'll start remembering everything else too."

Bella smiled at him. "Well, no matter what I remember or don't remember, baby, you know that I already love you again." She stretched up and gave him a soft kiss.

Jasper kissed Bella back, caressing her cheek with his hand, and didn't stop until the moment was interrupted by Rosalie clearing her throat.  
"Alright, you two lovebirds. I think that's my cue to leave. Emmett will be home soon, anyways. Bells, if you remember anything else, call me, okay? Otherwise I'll see you tomorrow."

Rosalie kissed her best friend and her brother on the cheek and then let herself out of the house. As she drove home, she couldn't help but wonder why Jasper's reaction seemed so off to her, but she found no answers, and just brushed off her concerns as idle worry when she arrived home and was immediately wrapped in Emmett's strong arms.

After his sister left, Jasper suggested that he and Bella have some dinner. He had stopped to pick up Chinese at the restaurant that he said was their favorite on his way home from the office, and it was waiting in the kitchen. The two walked in together and Jasper suggested that Bella open all of the containers while he got out the plates and glasses.

Bella was in the middle of opening a quart of kung pao chicken when she heard Jasper swear softly under his breath. She looked up, and was surprised to see Jasper looking in a cupboard that she knew was reserved for small electronic devices. Looking back down to the counter top, she could see he had already gotten the plates, so he had to be looking for glasses.

"Jasper, you're not looking in the right cupboard. What are you doing?" she asked, her brow furrowed in concern.

Jasper smiled. "Hey, good job, Sugar. You remember where we keep the glasses? I was hoping I might be able to trigger another memory if I did something wrong."

Bella thought that his strategy was a bit odd, but assumed that his profession meant that he knew more about the way the mind worked than she did, so she just shrugged it off.

"Actually," she replied. "Rose taught me where everything was earlier. So I can't really say I got a memory back. Not unless you want to count a memory of this afternoon," she said with a faint laugh.

"Oh, well that's alright," Jasper comforted, walking over to give her a hug and kiss her forehead. "You'll remember something else soon, don't you worry."

The two carried their dinner into the dining room and began to eat. Jasper told her that each dish that he brought home was one of her favorites, and that they usually ate Chinese once a week. Bella found that she did enjoy the taste of her dinner, especially the spicier dishes. When one particular bite brought tears to her eyes, making Jasper laugh, she suddenly felt herself falling into a memory.

In her mind, Bella could see herself sitting on the leather couch in the living room, clapping her hands as Jasper, holding a guitar in his arms and looking over at her with a big grin on his face, played and sang for her. It took a minute of watching the scene play in her mind before she could hear the song, and she grasped her sides as the laughter overtook her.

"What are you laughing about, Sugar?" Jasper asked.

Through giggles, Bella managed to speak. "Puff the Magic Dragon!"

Jasper looked entirely confused for a moment. "You've been smoking pot?" he asked.

"No! God Jasper, don't be ridiculous," she scolded. "I remembered something! I remembered you sitting in this living room playing Puff the Magic Dragon on your guitar, laughing as you sang the words. You were wearing a light blue sweater, and your hair kept falling down into your eyes. Do you remember that?"

Jasper nodded curtly. "Yeah," he said, offering her a slightly uncomfortable smile. "Yeah, of course I remember that. Well, not necessarily the sweater, but I remember the song."

"Will you play for me now, baby?" Bella asked, batting her lashes at him sweetly for effect.

"Sure, Bells. I can do that," Jasper replied. "Would you set all these dishes in the sink while I go get my guitar?"

"Sure, baby," Bella agreed, rising from her chair and kissing his cheek as she reached across him to pick up a plate.

Jasper walked upstairs to the bedroom and opened the closet door, reaching inside to the left and taking a hold of the handle on his guitar case, picking it up and carrying it it his bed. He set it down and opened the case, taking a moment to admire the Taylor guitar that was inside of it, at least sixty years old. It was beautiful, and one quick strum of the strings reminded him just how amazing the instrument sounded as well. Smiling, Jasper picked up the instrument and carried it back downstairs.

"Bella?" he called, looking into the kitchen.

"I'm in here," she called from the living room.  
Jasper walked toward the sound of her voice and found her sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand and another in front of her on the table.

"I sure hope one of those is for me," he teased as he took a seat at the far end of the couch.

"Of course it is, baby. But you can't have any until you play for me," she added, grinning at her boyfriend as she settled into the deep cushions.

Jasper began to strum the strings with his thumb, making sure the instrument was in tune, then launched right into a cover of "Hotel California" by the Eagles. Bella watched him play with rapt attention, loving the sound of the music, until she suddenly felt herself falling into another memory.

As she looked at the picture in her mind, she quickly realized that there was something wrong. In her mind, Jasper was playing guitar for her as well, but there was one difference between her memory and the present version: memory Jasper was using a pick.  
Bella's confusion was evident on her face, and as soon as he finished the song, Jasper set his guitar on the table and reached out to her. "What's going on, Sugar?"

Bella shook her head, her brow still furrowed as she tried to shake off the feeling that something was wrong. "Nothing, baby. I just got a little confused by a memory. It wasn't anything important," she finished, offering him a smile to settle his nerves. She was sure her mind was just playing tricks on her.

Jasper frowned, not consoled by her smile as much as he'd like to be. "Bella, you gotta quit trying to force it, okay? Your mind will heal itself on it's own schedule. Don't push it."

Bella nodded, accepting his advice. "You're right. I should just stay focused on tonight."

Jasper smiled, seeing that Bella was now back in the right frame of mine. "That's right," he agreed. "Because our night has just started, and I was thinking of some ways to improve on it."

Bella giggled, pretty sure she knew where Jasper was leading. "Do you now?" she asked. "And what sort of ideas did you have in mind?"

Jasper reached out and took the wine glass out of his girlfriend's hand and set it on the table, then placed his hands on either side of her on the couch, leaning down until his lips were hovering right above hers. "Maybe something like this," he whispered, his lips so close to hers that she could feel their vibrations.

She pressed her lips against his, meeting them to complete the kiss, and immediately forgot all the confusing memories from earlier. Losing herself for a moment in his kiss, she reached up and let her fingers tangle in his hair, holding him to her. They kissed for several minutes before he pulled his lips off hers and moved them up her jaw toward her ear.

"Let me make love to you, Sugar," he whispered. "It seems like I've been waiting forever."

Bella understood what he meant. As she had gotten to know him during her time in the hospital, she had seen the desire in his eyes, and she couldn't deny feeling it too. Jasper was ruggedly handsome, and his blue eyes were piercing. Combined with his gentle touches and sweet words, and she couldn't help but fall for him.

Answering him with a softly moaned "yes", she allowed Jasper to get up and then pull her up into his arms and carry her to the bedroom. He laid her down on the quilt and crawled up on top of her, immediately finding her lips again.

Their kisses grew in intensity, and Jasper began running his hands up and down the sides of her body, tracing her curves over her clothes. He left her lips and pressed his lips to her collarbone, letting his tongue slide out and flick against the tender skin there, loving the way she arched her back toward him and sucked in her breath. He soon felt Bella pawing at the hem of his shirt, trying to remove it. Wanting to feel her soft skin against him, he rose up and pulled the shirt over his head. Just seconds after he did so, Bella gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

Jasper was concerned. "What's wrong Sugar?"

"I... um... uh... Cramps. My stomach, it's cramping," she said, her voice shaking.

Jasper, assuming that she sounded that way because of how caught up in the moment they had gotten, pressed his hand against her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Bella. Maybe it was too much to give you all that spicy Chinese at once when you just got off hospital food. I'm sure we have some medicine in the bathroom cabinet."

Bella, relieved that he had accepted her excuse, went in to the bathroom and fumbled around the cupboard, finding the Pepto Bismol and taking a cup, then made her way back to the bed. When she got there, she furrowed her brow at the sight of the quilt, still pulled up. Something was wrong, she was sure of it, but she stayed quiet, instead simply pulling down the quilt and sliding into the bed under the sheets.

Jasper scooted across the bed to cuddle with her, resting his warm hand on her stomach, hoping that it would help ease her discomfort. He had no idea that the discomfort she was feeling had nothing to do with what she had eaten for dinner, and soon fell asleep with his nose near her hair, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo.

A/N: Just in case it wasn't obvious to you, I use a TON of soap opera cliches in this story. It's meant to be over-the-top dramatic, just like your favorite daytime dramas. I hope you're enjoying!


	4. 4

A/N: owns all recognizable elements of Twilight.

Thanks to BamaBabe, NCChris, and LacyM3 for all their help with this.

To Have and To Hold

Chapter 4

That same night, Chief Swan was at the station late, once again interrogating Edward Cullen, who had been arrested earlier in the afternoon by Officer Clearwater on suspicion of stalking. Charlie was sure that the cash register receipt, signed by Edward himself, showing his purchase of the same bouquet that Bella received, would be evidence enough to convict him, especially considering his prior history with the victim.

This interrogation, however, unlike the first, was going nowhere fast. Edward had immediately requested his lawyer, one J. Jenks – an attorney known by all of the local law enforcement community to be more crooked than most of the clients he represented – and refused to speak. Jenks had threatened Charlie, and the whole of the Forks Police Department,

with several lawsuits, including defamation of character and harassment, but Charlie Swan was not afraid of his tactics. He was determined that the Cullen boy would finally see justice.

After two hours of hard questioning, all of which was met by stone-faced silence, Charlie gave up and ordered Officer Clearwater to take Edward to a holding cell. Edward's last words before leaving the room were a request that Jenks call his mother. Charlie rolled his eyes, thinking that Edward was nothing more than a momma's boy, and then left the room, glad at least that Edward was behind bars for the night and his baby girl was safe.

While her husband was booking Edward Cullen into the town's jail, Renee Swan was fending off threats right and left from Esme Cullen. After calling three times and sending five unanswered text messages, Esme finally drove across the small town to the Swans' house and rapped harshly on the door.

Sighing in resignation, Renee opened the door. "What do you want, Esme?"

"I want my son released from jail. Immediately," Esme replied. "I am not going to ask twice, Renee."

"What do you think I can do, really? I am the wife of the chief of police, not the chief myself. If you think that I have control over my husband's actions, you are very confused."

"Find a way, Renee," Esme warned. "My son better be home with me by tomorrow morning, or you will spend the next days, maybe even weeks, just waiting for your world to come crashing down around you. I'll make you wait, because I want to see you squirm. Unlike you, Renee, I know how to wield power over others... And it will be most amusing to wield it over you."

Her threats made, Esme Cullen smiled sweetly and walked out of the house once again, leaving Renee alone to spend the rest of the evening pacing the living room, wracking her brain for some sort of solution that would save her marriage from Edward's mother.

The next morning, after Jasper left for work, Bella immediately called Charlotte. Jasper's mother had been staying with Rosalie in town so that she could be around to help with Bella, and the young woman was more happy about that on this particular morning than ever. When Charlotte answered, Bella asked if she could stop by. Charlotte immediately agreed, and Bella set off for Rosalie's house.

When she arrived, Charlotte immediately pulled her into her arms, seeing that Bella was shaking. "Come on, Bella darlin. Come in and sit down and you can tell me what's wrong, alright?"

Bella nodded her agreement, happy to feel the comfort of Charlotte's arms around her. When they were settled on the couch, Bella turned toward Charlotte with a worried expression on her face. "Char, I've been having memories. They just kind of appear out of nowhere every once in a while, but they feel so real."  
"Well that sounds like a good thing, Bella. Why does it have you so shaken up?"

Bella looked up into Charlotte's eyes. "Because my memories don't match up to reality."

"Maybe their aren't really memories, then," Charlotte soothed, patting Bella's shoulder. "It's possible they are more like dreams. You should talk to Dr. Cullen about it."

"No," Bella answered, shaking her head. "No, Charlotte, this is something I need to talk about with you. They are memories about Jasper, and I think you can tell me if they are true or not." Charlotte nodded, accepting Bella's plan. "Jasper, in my memory, was playing guitar. Does he, or does he not, use a pick when he plays?"

"Oh, he uses a pick. Always. Jasper and Peter both." Charlotte shook her head, laughing softly. "Something about wanting to have one hand with soft fingers to touch their girls..."

Under normal circumstances, Bella would have laughed, but right now, she couldn't find the humor. "Last night, Charlotte, Jasper played for me. He did _not_ use a pick."

"That's very odd. It's not like him. But maybe he just couldn't find one, and didn't want to disappoint you?"

"Yeah, if that had been the only thing that was off, I could believe that easily. But later, when we went up to bed, he didn't pull the quilt down. In my memory, though, he stopped us in the middle of some pretty heavy kissing to pull down the quilt. That makes me think that he would always do that."

"He would. It's something I drilled into him when he was a teenager. Forgive me for being crass, but I didn't want to have to clean _messes_ off of the quilt that his grandmother hand made for him."

Bella grimaced. This conversation was scaring her more and more every second. "There's one more thing, Charlotte. Does Jasper have a scar on his stomach?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yes, a rather big one. It's actually three long lines that cut across his abs, parallel to each other. He got it when he was thrown by a horse at sixteen and scraped his way across the top of the fence as he flew over it." She shook her head, hating that memory.

"Jasper didn't have a scar last night," Bella said, her voice sounding lifeless as she realized that there was no way that the man in bed with her last night was the man she was in love with.

Instantly, all the color drained from Charlotte's face, and she reached out to hold Bella's hands. "Oh my lord, Bella. I don't have any idea how to explain this. I just saw him yesterday, and there was no question in my mind that the man I was looking at was my son. I just..." Charlotte paused, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. "Oh no. Oh god, no."

"Charlotte? Please tell me what's wrong."

Tears were falling freely down Charlotte's cheeks as she looked back at Bella. "Oh Bella, what I am about to tell you has been a secret in my family for so many years. No one other than myself and Peter have ever known this, and that was how we had hoped to keep it. But I can see now that I have to be honest."

Bella was terrified, but she knew that whatever Charlotte had to tell her would be important, so she urged her to continue.

"Bella," Charlotte continued after a heavy sigh, "Jasper is not my biological son. Not mine or Peter's. I was pregnant when we lived in Texas, nearly thirty years ago. I was going to have a son. The day that I delivered my baby, another woman, one by the name of Maria, delivered as well - twin boys. The hospital where we delivered was in a very small town, and they didn't have all the technology and safeguards that we have today," Charlotte explained, her tears still falling heavily. "My nurse, Alice – I'll never forget her, Bella. She seemed so nice, and the way she took care of Jasper, with such care. It seemed like she loved him too. She was Maria's nurse as well. We didn't know it then, we didn't know it until Jasper was sixteen and had his accident, in fact, but Alice had switched my baby with one of Maria's twins."  
Charlotte's body was now heaving with sobs, and she paused, unable to continue. Bella, so astounded by the news that she had just heard, sat in shocked silence, waiting for Charlotte to be able to continue. Silently, Bella thanked the nurse, this Alice, because she had saved Jasper and delivered him to her. When she had gathered herself, Bella asked her first question.  
"How did you know?"

Charlotte shook her head. "It took a lot of research to find out. When Jasper had his accident, he lost a lot of blood. Peter and I both immediately volunteered to donate our own. When we were tested, it was determined that neither of us matched his blood type, and in fact, there was no way that we could be Jasper's parents. After Jasper was recovered, Peter went down to Texas and looked into the records. He went to find Maria. According to the records, Maria had given birth to identical twins. She did, Bella. One of her sons was identical to the boy I had raised." Charlotte stopped to wipe her eyes.

"You must think that I'm terrible now, because I knew this, and never did anything about it. But Bella, the boy that I gave birth to, he was my blood, yes. But Jasper, he was my son. I raised him. How on earth could I give that boy to someone else after sixteen years? I just couldn't do it. So Peter and I agreed that it would be our secret, and Jasper would always be our son."

Bella could hardly believe what she had just learned. There was so much information to take in, but there was one piece of it that stuck out in her mind above all. "So what you're saying, then, is that somewhere, Jasper has an identical twin?"

Charlotte nodded silently, her eyes growing wider. "You need to leave here right now, Bella. You need to go to Charlie. Because it appears that Jasper's twin may have found him after all these years."

Bella, having heard every word that Charlotte had told her, was in complete agreement that the man that she had been in bed with last night was most certainly not _her_ Jasper. She was terrified. If Jasper was not at home with her, then where was he?

She was also infuriated that, whoever that man was, he had tried to take advantage of her. She felt dirty and violated, and wanted nothing more than a shower. Or perhaps several showers. Looking at her watch, Bella felt sure that she had plenty of time before "Jasper" came home, so made the decision to go back to the house so that she could shower and pick up a few of her things before she went to see her father.

Bella arrived at the house she shared with Jasper and saw that it was empty. Feeling relieved, she went inside and immediately gathered up an overnight bag, filling it with several changes of clothes and a few personal items. Once she had packed, she grabbed her towel and went in to shower.

She knew that she could never scrub herself hard enough to remove the dirtiness that having a stranger touch her had caused, but that didn't mean that she couldn't try. Bella washed her body several times, until her skin was bright red and tender to the touch, before finally giving up and getting out of the shower. She dried off, then, after a quick look at the clock told her that she was very nearly out of time, Bella quickly put on her jeans and a sweater. She was just picking up her overnight bag when she heard the clicking sound from downstairs that told her that "Jasper" had come home. Panicked, Bella shoved her freshly-packed bag into her closet.

"Jasper, baby! You're home!" she said, hoping that she sounded more excited than she felt.

"Jasper" jogged up the stairs toward her, taking the steps two at a time, and pulled her into an embrace when he arrived at the top. "Hey, Sugar," he said before pressing his lips to hers.  
Bella couldn't stop the automatic reaction of her body, which was to stiffen and pull away from his touch. Jasper felt it too, and immediately asked her what was wrong.

"I'm sorry, baby," she lied. "I'm just feeling a bit off today. My mind has been playing tricks on me with these memories, and I just don't feel like myself."

"I don't think that's it," "Jasper" countered. "I think that's almost exactly the opposite of the problem, Bella. Why don't you try telling me the truth?"

What Bella did not know was that "Jasper" had not gone to work today. He had instead followed Bella, and knew everything that she had done since waking up that morning, just as he had been doing for months.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bella said in a trembling voice. She was wishing more than ever that she had listened to Charlotte and gone straight to her father.

"Oh yes you do," "Jasper" sneered, grabbing Bella by the arm and pulling her over to the bed, forcing her to sit. Then he walked over to the closet, opening the door and gesturing to her bag. "Want to tell me where you think you're going?"

Bella now knew that she had been caught, and that lying was not going to help her. So she decided to try to get all the information she could instead.

"I was going to go stay with my parents. I don't know who the hell you are, but I know for damn sure that you are not my boyfriend."

"Of course I am your boyfriend, Bella. Who else would I be?"

"You are not Jasper Whitlock. I know that for a fact. As for who you really are, I wish I knew. Maybe you'd like to tell me."

"Jasper" shook his head, glaring at Bella. "You think you're smart, don't you, Bella? You've got this all figured out. You don't even have a clue just how oblivious you are." "Jasper" began to pace around the room. "You don't even know that we've met before. So caught up in your own little world, just like always, aren't you, Bella?"

Bella could hear the anger growing in his voice, and she was frightened. "I do that a lot, don't I? Forget to pay attention to everyone else? Tell me from the beginning. Tell me your name. I don't want to call you Jasper anymore. We both know you aren't him. Show me who _you_ are," Bella said in a gentle voice, hoping that this approach might be more successful.

It seemed to work; he stopped pacing and came to sit beside her on the bed. "My name is James," he said. "James Rivera."  
He held out his hand and Bella shook it. "You said we've met before?" she asked, prodding him to continue.

James' face showed his anger. "Yeah, we've met. You remember Jacob?"

Bella's face went white. She _did _remember Jacob, her boyfriend from when she went to college in Phoenix. They had been really happy together, until he joined the Wildcat's football team. He started hanging around with the football players instead of his old friends, and it seemed like he became a different person overnight.

"Yeah, I thought you'd remember him. He left quite an impression, didn't he?" James continued, gesturing to the light pink scar of her cheek, a lasting bit of evidence of the night that Jacob lost control of his temper, and, in a rage, had broken a large vase. One of the pieces of shattered glass had flown through the air and cut Bella, leaving Jacob's mark on her forever.

"I was Jacob's best friend. You never noticed me, though. When Jacob was around, you didn't see anything or anyone except for him," James spat, looking disgusted. "You always did like a boy with long hair, it seemed. So I grew mine out. Still couldn't get the time of day from you." James glared at her.

"So I came up with a plan. I knew that you could fall for me if I could just get your eyes off of Jacob for a minute. His joining the football team was the perfect time. Remember how he turned into a complete asshole then, with no explanation?" Bella nodded. "Steroids. It was easy to get them – ordered them right off the net, and then slipped them into his food. Pretty easy to do since the asshole always wanted to be waited on."

James began to look a bit smug then, and Bella listened on in horror. "The muscles were easy enough to explain, what with all the working out for the team. I figured you'd get sick of his mood swings and leave him, and then I'd get my chance." James paused for a moment and let out a bitter-sounding laugh. "Guess that plan kind of backfired, though, didn't it? You didn't just leave Jake, you left Arizona, taking my chance to make you mine with you."

"But you found a way, didn't you, James?" Bella asked softly. "I mean, you're here now. How'd you find me?"

"It wasn't easy, Bella," James replied. "I hired a private investigator by the name of Laurent Monroe. Expensive son of a bitch, I'll tell you, but worth every penny, as you can see." James took Bella's chin between his fingers and shook her head gently. "When he finally found you in Forks, I came up here to make you mine. Wasn't it a motherfucking shock to find you involved with a man who looked just like me?"

James laughed again, this time even more bitter than the last. "Yeah, that was quite a fucking shock, let me tell you. I grew up with a twin brother who, it seems, wasn't my brother at all. Instead, my real twin is right here in Forks, with _my_ girl on his arm. Of all the fucking irony..."

"Did Jasper know?" Bella whispered.

James shook his head. "Bastard didn't have a clue. I watched for a long while, learning all about him. About you. I knew that, if you loved him, you could obviously love me. I mean, we're twins, right? I just had to get him out of the way."

He reached out, cupping her cheek, and his expression lost all the anger for a moment, instead appearing apologetic. "I'm sorry that I hurt you in the process, that was never intended. But now that you're healed, and here with me, we can finally start our lives together, Bella."

James smiled, and it made Bella's stomach turn. "You need mental help, you know that?" she spat. "How could you ever think that you could come in here and trick me, and hurt me, and then I'd just magically fall in love with you? You're insane!"

James growled, dropping his soft touch and slamming his fist down on the night table. "You are mine, Bella!"

"No!" Bella screamed. "I'll never be yours, you pyscho! Tell me where Jasper is!"

James stood up, and reached into his back pocket. "You want to know where that weak, pathetic excuse for a man is?" he sneered. "Here. Look at this."

James shoved a photograph into Bella's face, and, once her eyes adjusted to the nearness of it, she saw that it was Jasper, only he was badly beaten. She gasped in horror. His eye was swollen and there was a huge purple bruise surrounding it. Dried blood was caked around his nose and his very swollen lower lip, and there was dark spots in his hair that she assumed were blood as well.

"Let him go, James. You don't have to do this," she begged. She didn't even realize right away that the picture had sparked something inside her mind, but she knew, when she saw the eyes, even as awful as he looked, that the man in the photograph was _her_ Jasper. She _knew_ him. She remembered him. And that knowledge gave her the power and strength she needed to protect him.

"I'll do whatever you want, James," she continued. "Just let him go."

"Whatever I want?" James said, smiling that same sick smile. "I want you to marry me, Bella. I want you to be my wife. You do that for me, and I'll let my worthless excuse for a brother live."


	5. 5

A/N: owns all of Twilight.

Thanks to BamaBabe, NCChris, and LacyM3. I couldn't have done this without them.

To Have and To Hold

Chapter 5

Over the course of the next few weeks, Jasper Whitlock remained tied up in a dark, damp basement. He had no idea where he was, or how long he had been there, only that the man keeping him there looked freakishly like himself and quite obviously hated him. The man came by once a day to bring Jasper food, though calling it food seemed rather like an overstatement. He was always angry when he arrived, and Jasper watched him carefully for weeks before he ever spoke to him.

On that day, the man seemed to be in a much better mood than usual. Jasper decided that it was time to take his chance.

"So, we keep meeting up like this," he said, trying for a bit of humor. "You know me, but I don't know you. Perhaps introductions are in order."

The other man sneered. "Yeah, that's fine. You want to know who I am? Like you couldn't just look at me and know? I'm your twin brother, you idiot. James. Obviously the one who got the lion's share of the brains."  
"I don't have a twin brother," Jasper replied, confused.

"Yeah, you do. There was a fuck up at the hospital when we were born. You may be stupid, but you're a fucking lucky bastard. You were the one who got raised by the Whitlocks, while I was stuck with that crazy bitch that gave birth to us. Maria."

"Maria? That's our mother?" Jasper asked, treating this newfound brother much like a patient, encouraging him to talk.

"Yeah. As much as a worthless tramp who turned tricks for drugs and raised us to do her dirty work, beating people up for money by the time we were teenagers, can be a mother. Your Charlotte was everything a mother should be, while Maria was the woman that gives social services workers nightmares."

James paused, shaking his head, and Jasper decided to ask another question. "How did you end up here, then?"

"When I was seventeen, a couple of hired guns for a drug dealer showed up at our apartment. Turns out good old Maria owed a bunch of money, and didn't have any of it. They raped her and killed her, and then shot my brother, Riley, when he walked in on it. I was lucky, I guess, that Maria had sent me out to panhandle that morning so we could get money for groceries. I went home a few hours later, found them both dead, and took my chance. I gathered up everything I could find that was worth anything, went to a pawn shop and sold it all, then took the money and ran. I didn't stop until I got to Phoenix, and that's where I started over."

"Phoenix?" Jasper asked, immediately remembering that Phoenix was where Bella had gone to college.

"Yeah," James said with a smile. "Phoenix. It took a lot of work and a lot of creativity, but I got myself a life going there. And then... Then I met Bella. And everything I've done since has been about making her mine."

Jasper tensed, finally understanding what James was after. He didn't know what it would take, but he knew that he had to save Bella.

"And now you've got her?" Jasper asked.

James's smile, for the first time, seemed completely sincere. "Yeah, now I've got her. We're getting married tomorrow. So you won't see me for awhile. Honeymoon, you know," he explained, winking. "But don't worry, I left enough food here to get you through till I'm back. After my trip, maybe we can talk about what we're gonna do with you."

Jasper knew better than to argue with him right now, so he decided to simply cooperate. "That sounds fair, James," he said, giving his new-found brother exactly what he wanted. "I've had all the good fortune until now. It's your turn, after all."  
"Damn straight," James agreed. "It's my fucking turn."

James left a few minutes later, and Jasper spent the next hour searching his basement cell for a way out. The ropes that tied him to his bed didn't allow him to walk very far, and both the small windows, as well as the door, were out of his reach. It was clear to him that getting out of his bondage was the first step to any escape.

After another hour of searching the space, he found what he was sure was his only hope: a rough patch in the wood that made the foot-board of his tiny bed. He sat down beside it and began rubbing the thick ropes against it, hoping for enough friction to break through the threads. All the time that he worked, he had only one thought in his mind, and that was saving Bella.

The next morning, Charlotte, Rosalie, and Renee were in a small room in the back of a church, helping Bella into her wedding dress. All three women had been surprised when Bella, fresh from a coma, had announced that she and Jasper wanted to get married right away. None of them more so than Charlotte, who knew as well as Bella did that the groom was not actually Jasper. But Bella had not had a moment alone with Charlotte since discovering James' true identity, and thus the looks passed between the two had been enough to confirm that, while both knew the truth, there was some reason behind Bella's actions that she couldn't share, and Charlotte was just going to have to trust her.

As Rosalie zipped up the back of Bella's dress, Renee came around to face her daughter. "Are you sure you're ready to do this, Bella?" she asked.

"This is the right thing to do," Bella replied. It was the most honest answer she could give.

"Alright then," Renee said with a sigh. She, too, had a feeling that something about this rushed wedding was not right, but she had no idea what it was. She just hoped that her daughter would be alright.

"Mom, we're about ready here. Can you send Dad in?" Bella asked as she resigned herself to what was about to happen.

Renee agreed, and the three women left the room. As Renee walked into the church to find her husband, she found herself constantly looking over her shoulder, staring back at Esme Cullen, who sat quietly, for now, in the back of the church. Renee knew why she was here. Her efforts to convince Charlie to release Edward had been completely unsuccessful. In fact, they had been rather counterproductive; Charlie was now so angry that she was sure he had argued against bail for the Cullen boy just to spite her.

Esme sat in her seat, a smug smile on her face as she watched Renee Swan fidget nervously. Her son had been wasting away in the town's jail for weeks now, the Swans' vendetta against her family being taken out on him. Esme had always believed in an eye for an eye, and had every intention of ruining this day for their daughter.

Back in the bride's room, Bella took several deep breaths as she waited for her father to arrive, her mind focused on her love for Jasper and the fact that she was doing this to save him.

"Hey Bells," Charlie called from the door. "Your mom said you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, Dad," Bella said, turning toward her father. Charlie wanted to comment on how beautiful she looked, but the seriousness of her expression told her that now wasn't the time. "Dad, you need to release Edward Cullen from jail. He wasn't the one who was sending me things. It was a prank, and the kid apologized to me."

"But..."  
"Please, Dad. I know that Edward is a complete ass, but this time, it wasn't him. You've got to let him go."

Charlie couldn't deny being a bit disappointed, but he was nothing if not a thorough believer in justice, so he took his cell phone out of his pocket and called Officer Clearwater immediately, ordering Edward's release. Bella sighed with relief when she heard the officer on the other end of the line accept the orders. She really didn't want an innocent person punished for James' actions, not even if that person was Edward Cullen.

"Thank you, Dad," Bella whispered as he hung up the phone. "I love you."

"I love you too, Bells," Charlie replied, pulling his daughter into a hug. "I just want you to know," he whispered directly into her ear so that only she could hear him. "I always thought that Jasper was the one man good enough for you. Lately, both of you seem a bit off, and I can't put my finger on why. I'm hoping that it's just because of your memory problems, and now that everything there is fixed, you two will both get back to normal. But I'm telling you right now, Bella, that if Jasper doesn't treat you right, he'll have me to answer to."

Tears fell from Bella's eyes as she heard her father's words, and she wished that there was a way for her to tell him the truth. But she knew that Jasper would only be safe as long as she did what James told her to do. So she answered Charlie in the only way she could. "Jasper would never treat me wrong, Dad."

In the chapel, Esme Cullen was startled by the ringing of her cellular phone. Quickly pulling it out of her purse, she immediately recognized the number; it was Edward calling from jail. She was surprised that he would be calling now – she had informed him of her plans for the afternoon prior the day before.

"Edward, what is it?" she hissed softly into the phone, not wanting anyone to hear her.

"Mom," came a cheerful voice, "They're letting me go! Chief Swan dropped all the charges!"

Esme didn't know what had caused this change in events, but she knew better than to question her good fortune.

"I'll be right there to get you, son," she replied before hanging up the phone.

Esme rose from her pew and stood still for a moment, waiting to catch Renee's eye. When she was sure that she had the attention of her nemesis, Esme mouthed, "This is over, for now," then turned and walked haughtily from the chapel.

Renee, standing up on the alter, did not understand what had just occurred, but breathed a large sigh of relief all the same. Bella's wedding had been saved.

"Alright then, baby girl," Charlie said, giving his daughter one last squeeze. "Let's walk you down that aisle, shall we?"

The two approached the doorway and waited for the bridal march to begin, and then Charlie led his daughter down the aisle and handed her over to "Jasper". As she stood in front of the church, Bella met Charlotte's eyes, and, seeing her sad smile, Bella gave her a slight nod, a little message between the two that was meant as a promise that everything would be alright.

The minister began the service, but Bella didn't pay much attention. Instead, she spent the ceremony imagining what the wedding would be like if she were marrying the real Jasper instead. That thought, and that thought alone, kept the smile on Bella's face.

Finally, after what seemed like a terribly long sermon, the minister turned to James. "Do you, Jasper Stephen Whitlock, take Isabella Marie Swan to be your wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, to honor and care for all the days of your life?"

James smiled, looking into Bella's eyes. "I do."

The minister smiled, and turned to Bella. "And do you, Isabella Marie Swan, take Jasper Stephen Whitlock to be your husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, to honor and to care for all the days of your life?"

Bella struggled to keep herself from vomiting. She couldn't believe that she was going to do this. She focused on the words that the minister had asked her. He wasn't asking her to take James, he had asked her to take Jasper. _That_ was something she could agree to.

James, by now irritated that Bella was taking so long to reply, glared at her, raising a brow to silently remind her of his promise to kill his brother should Bella not keep up her end of the bargain.

"I..." Bella began.

Her words were cut short, however, by a loud banging at the back of the church. All heads turned toward the doors, which had just slammed open, in time to see Jasper, very much worse for wear, but alive, run into the church, one hand outstretched, and his mouth wide open as he yelled out the one word which would put an end to this charade: "Don't!"


	6. 6

**A/N: SMeyer owns the characters. I just twisted them. A lot. **

**A HUGE thank you to my awesome beta and one of my very best friends, Lacym3, without whom this chapter never would have happened. Thank you for making me continue this story, babe. It's so much fun. When you finish this chapter, go check her profile for great reads.**

**Also, thanks to BamaBabe, who helped me figure out part of this chapter and keeps me off the ledge. Make sure to check out her stuff too, she's amazing.**

To Have and To Hold

Chapter 6

Jasper, badly beaten and malnourished during the entirety of his captivity, stormed into the chapel with the strength of purpose fueling him. He was barely strong enough to walk, but he was most certainly strong enough to save the love of his life.

As he ran up the aisle, the fire of his rage burned hot, leaving him unable to see anything or anyone other than the man who had hurt him; the man who was hurting Bella. Rushing toward him, ignoring the pain that shot from every muscle and bone, Jasper heard nothing of the reactions of the wedding party or the guests that filled the small chapel.

James, both shocked and furious to see his twin out of the basement in which he had been holding him, took a step away from the woman who had just been one word away from being his wife. With one last look toward her, he saw the tears falling down her cheeks. A rational man would have recognized these as tears of happiness to see Jasper, or relief, even. But James was far from rational, and therefore assumed that she, too, was upset that their wedding had been disrupted. Bella's unhappiness only added to James' anger, and he was determined to make Jasper pay for ruining their day.

Stepping in front of Bella in an effort to protect her from the man running up the aisle with a crazed look in his eyes, James lowered himself into a crouched position, ready to take him on. Every eye in the chapel was on the two men, and mouths fell open in shock as each person realized, despite the bad condition of the man who had disrupted the ceremony, how much the two looked alike.

The shock was just as pronounced on the face of Peter Whitlock, who was standing only two feet from the groom in his position as best man. Peter had sensed something off with his son the past few weeks, but had attributed it to his reaction to Bella's amnesia. But being the only person present, other than the twins themselves, to have seen James when he was not pretending to be Jasper, as Peter looked back and forth between the two, the realization of who stood beside him on the alter came like a punch in the gut.

Surely the slight physical differences between the two were easily missed – Peter had seen that firsthand when he discovered the truth over fifteen years before. James, too, was an accomplished actor, and had clearly studied Jasper for quite a while before attempting this role. But, as his eyes went back and forth between the two men, desperately trying to finding proof that his suspicions were correct, he finally found it. The man who ran up the aisle held his hands in fists, ready to fight. The first of his right hand, with the thumb sticking out between the third and fourth finger, was the clue that Peter had searched for– that young man was his son, there was no question.

Suddenly, everything was happening at once. James, not wanting to give Jasper the upper hand at all, leapt at him, and the two men tumbled to the floor together, fists flying. Peter yelled for Charlie, knowing that he'd need his help, and then turned to his wife, motioning for her to hold Bella back. He knew his future daughter-in-law well enough to know that she would try to jump in and save the man she loved, but there was no way he was letting her get hurt in the scuffle.

Charlie Swan, upon hearing Peter's call for help, jumped out of his pew and joined Peter in his efforts to pull the two men off of each other. It was not an easy task, however, as fists and feet were flying in every direction. Charlie tried hard not to be distracted by the frantic screams of his daughter, who stood restrained by Charlotte, who had run to her in the chaos, on the alter, crying out for Jasper. The confused police chief, however, still wasn't completely sure which of the two fighters was Jasper, and assumed it was the one in the tuxedo.

The wedding guests, by this time, were all either standing up trying to see what was happening in the aisle, or running toward the back exit, trying to escape before the commotion turned into something dangerous. The ones who stood watching, however, had an excellent view of a scene that would be told and retold in Forks for a long time to come.

The twin men tumbled over and over on the floor, neither one of them appearing to have the upper hand for more than a few seconds at a time. Even in his weakened state, Jasper was a skilled fighter and had enough anger and purpose within him to make up for the lack of physical strength. His fists flew with speed and accuracy, landing several strong blows to the face and stomach of his nemesis.

James, however, had the benefit of physical health on this side, though his mental state was not nearly so strong. He fought wildly, punching and kicking as hard as he could, though he lacked Jasper's aim. One of his kicks landed square in Peter's stomach just as the older man was about to succeed in pulling the twins apart. Peter flew backward, knocking the back of his head rather hard on the corner of a pew.

With Peter slightly dazed and unable to help, Charlie had his hands full trying to break up the fight. The commotion had been so hectic that he was still unsure as to which twin was the bad guy, and, at he took a strong fist to the jaw, wasn't sure he cared.

Bella remained on the alter, fighting hard against Charlotte's grasp, desperate to save Jasper, and, honestly, hoping to get in a punch or two of her own. Charlotte, however, stayed firm in her efforts to keep Bella where she was. The young girl was as dear to her as her own daughter, and there was no doubt in her mind that James had done enough to hurt her without laying his hands on her today. Charlotte's ears rang with the shrill screams of Jasper's name that came from Bella's lips as the two women watched the fight in obvious distress.

A moment later, things went from bad to worse in the chapel. Jasper took control of the fight for a moment, launching himself on top of James and pummeling his chest with punch after punch. Peter, seeing his son in a position where he was accessible, decided to make his move. His plan was simply to dive at the young man, tackling him so that they'd both fly back away from James, leaving James open for Charlie to subdue. It was a good plan. Or it would have been, had Peter not had a rather severe concussion.

Peter rose to his feet, shaky, and readied himself. Most of the observers did not even notice his movement, as all eyes were focused on Jasper and James, but Charlotte certainly did. Catching Peter's movement in the corner of her eye, she turned all of her attention to the man that she loved, happy to see him standing once again.

Charlotte's relief was short-lived. Peter swayed slightly as he stood, but took no notice of that, his thoughts so focused on rescuing his son before it was too late. There was only a few feet between where he stood and where Jasper now had James pinned, so Peter backed up a few steps to get himself a good running start. Three strides into his run, however, Peter's injury caught up to him, the dizziness overpowering his determination to remain upright, sending him crashing sideways into another pew.

Peter's fall, and Charlotte's responding scream of terror for her husband, were just enough to catch Jasper's attention. He was fighting as hard as he could, and the effort was wearing him out quickly in his weakened state. His mother's scream forced his attention away from James just long enough for James to slip from Jasper's pin, bracing his feet against the ground and pushing himself up the floor enough that Jasper now kneeled over his knees instead of his chest.

Jasper tried to adjust his position, grabbing at James' shirt and ripping it in his efforts, but he was tired and his reflexes not fast enough to catch James' next move, which was to bring his knees up to his chest and then kick both feet out into Jasper's chest simultaneously. The kick was strong, and Jasper flew backward, hitting the floor hard, flat on his back, the wind knocked out of his lungs.

Charlotte's reaction to both her husband's fall and now her son, who laid, unmoving, in the aisle, loosened her grip on Bella's arms, and the would-be bride used this to her advantage, breaking free of the woman's hold and rushing down the stairs toward the man she loved. Charlotte, unable to think of anything other than the condition of the two men she cared most for in the world, ran down the steps right after Bella, not stopping until she was at Peter's side.

Charlie, having taken Peter's attempted charge at Jasper as a sign that he was, in fact, the man that they were after, ran to Jasper, pulling his tie loose to use as makeshift handcuffs until backup arrived. He was just wrapping the cloth around the unconscious man's hands when Bella fell down beside him, her head falling onto his chest as she sobbed.

"Bella?" Charlie asked, now quite confused. His confusion, of course, stemming from the fact that his daughter was showing concern not for the man that she had been seconds from marrying, but for the one who had just attacked him.

"Dad," Bella spoke through her sobs. "This is the real Jasper. It's a long story, but this is him. You need to go get James..."

Charlie, not understanding anything that Bella had just said other than to assume that James was the man in the tuxedo, decided to do as his daughter instructed. When he got to his feet, however, and turned around, James was nowhere to be found.

On the other side of town, Esme Cullen was walking out of the jail with her son at her side, a grimace on her face. She hated being in that place, so dark and dank and dreary. She hated that people saw her going in and out of the building, that people knew that her son had spent the last several weeks living inside of it. It was a smudge on the Cullen name, one that she was sure was to be blamed on no one but the Swans. And while they may have gotten away with too much in the past, there was no doubt in her mind that, this time, the Swans would pay for their offenses against her family. The only question was when.

Once she and her son were safe from the prying eyes of the town in the car, Esme turned to Edward with concern in her eyes. "Were you treated well inside, son?"

"It was jail, mother," Edward said sullenly. His happiness to have been released was not enough to make him forget his bitterness at having been wrongfully accused and held like a lowlife for weeks.

Esme placed a hand on his cheek, lightly tapping it, noticing that his face showed evidence of weight loss. She made a mental note to write a letter of complaint to the governor about the accommodations that her son was forced to withstand when she returned to the house.

"No one hurt you, did they?" she asked, tentatively. Esme had seen enough movies and television programs to know that men were often forced into sex acts with other men while behind bars. It had been one of her greatest fears for him during his time in the jail, and one of the reasons she had fought so hard behind the scenes to get him released quickly.

Edward turned his head to look out the window so that his mother would not see him rolling his eyes. The woman, despite being extremely intelligent, was rather naïve, he knew, and did not understand that there was a difference between the town jail of Forks and a state prison. Rather than call her on this, though, Edward played along with her, because, like his mother, Edward knew how to use his power to benefit himself, and right now, he had his mother right where he wanted her.

"No, Mom, I was lucky. The other guys heard that I was a Cullen and left me alone."

Esme, satisfied with his answer and feeling a rather smug sort of pride at it, smiled and shifted her car into drive, moving rapidly down the street, eager to put as much distance as possible between the Cullen family and the town jail.

A few hours later, Edward was showered, clothed in freshly laundered khaki pants and the soft cotton of a name brand button-down shirt, laying on his six hundred thread count sheets, relaxing while he waited for his mother to call him down for dinner. Jail may not have been nearly as difficult to withstand as he was going to let his mother believe, but it was certainly nice to enjoy the luxuries to which he had long been accustomed.

Edward reached across the bed to his nightstand, choosing a playlist and placing his ipod in the dock, then settled back into the pillows as the music streamed through his speakers. The soft jazz that began to play set the perfect mood for him to think about something much more pleasant: the girl that he had every intention of going to visit after dinner.

It was just one of the many mistakes that Charlie Swan had made during his investigation into Bella's stalker. While there was no denying, not even to himself, that Edward still held a strong desire for Bella, one which he had harbored since high school, Edward was not the type of man to sit around pining for someone for years. He had long been convinced that his chance with Bella would come again someday, after all, no girl could deny Edward Cullen forever, but there was no need to be out of practice when it did.

Closing his eyes, he pictured the woman he had been seeing for a month prior to his incarceration. Just the thought of her made his pants feel a bit tighter. She was gorgeous, and insanely sexy, though unconventionally so. She was amazingly confidant and strong, though she never seemed to be haughty. She spoke with a sweet voice and played the role of the perfect society girlfriend when they were out. In bed, though, she was like a wild animal, one that he had no desire to tame.

Edward never felt like he had both feet on the ground when she was around. But there was something about her, something about the sharp contrasts that characterized every aspect of the girl, that drew him to her. She was always a mystery to him, and for every thing about her that he learned, there was still it's opposite to find within her. She was nearly impossible to figure out, but he wanted to do so. And there was nothing that Edward Cullen wanted as much as something he could not have.

As he laid in his bed thinking of her, Edward wondered just how much it would take to win her over again now that he had been released. Wrongfully accused or not, a man fresh out of jail wasn't much of a catch, he knew. On the other hand, he was Edward Cullen. Surely that would count for something. On the off chance that she was a tough sell, though, Edward called the florist and ordered her a dozen orange roses – the florist had told him before that they signified the fire of passion, and, as far as Edward was concerned, that made them perfect for his girl.

Just as he hung up the phone, he heard Esme call him from downstairs. Rising from his bed and brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes, Edward walked out of his bedroom door to join his parents for dinner, expecting nothing less than three of his favorite dishes to be included in the meal.

When he arrived at the dining room table, however, he was surprised to find only his mother.  
"Where's Dad?" he asked as he looked around the room.

"He hasn't arrived yet," Esme replied, feeling the same confusion as her son. It was unlike Carlisle to be late without letting her know ahead of time, and despite trusting him – after all, Renee Swan had done her best to steal him away, and been unsuccessful – Esme could still hear the whisper in the back of her mind, questioning his whereabouts.

Esme was just about to suggest that they begin the meal without him when the shrill ring of the kitchen telephone interrupted her thoughts. She had a very well-established rule against answering the telephone once the family had sat down to dinner, but Esme assumed that it was her husband calling, and decided to make this one exception, so she rose and walked briskly to the kitchen.

Edward watched his mother walk out of the room with wide eyes. A part of him couldn't help but wonder at his mother's disregard to her usual insistence on ignoring calls at mealtimes, and he hoped that there was not any reason for concern that had developed while he was being held in jail. The other part of him, however, was slightly irritated that he was being made to wait when the food sat temptingly before him.

A moment later, when Esme returned to the room, Edward nearly laughed aloud at the look upon her face.

"Mother, you look smug," he mused.

Esme smirked, a small laugh escaping her lips. "When I left Bella Swan's wedding this afternoon, I left without causing any trouble," she explained. "But it seems that karma is quite a bitch these days."

Edward furrowed his brow, not quite understanding.

"That was your father's secretary calling," Esme continued. "He won't be here for dinner, because he is busy treating the injuries of Bella's groom, as well as his father and Chief Swan as well. It seems I wasn't the only one interested in ruining that wedding."

Edward joined his mother in laughter, he, too, taking a bit of satisfaction in the story. His, though, was less to do with revenge and more to do with the fact that Bella Swan was still on the market.


	7. 7

A/N: Thank you to lacym3 for being my kick ass beta and all around supporter with this fic. I couldn't do it without you, hon! Love you!

To Have and To Hold

Chapter 7

James Rivera watched as the woman of his deepest desires ran past him and fell at his twin brother's side, sobbing. She was not concerned in the slightest bit about his condition, had not even spared a glance in his direction as she passed.

In that moment, James realized that, once again, his plan to make Bella Swan his had failed. Taking only seconds to look all around him, he saw that all the attention in the room was focused on Bella and Jasper, and he began to back up slowly toward the alter. When he was sure that his movement was unnoticed, James turned quickly and fled toward the back door of the chapel. It was time to make his escape.

He would have made it away with no trouble had it not been for the hinges of the chapel door, which quite obviously needed an oil job. Despite the room's focus on the newly-reunited lovers and the injuries sustained by the men, Emmett McCarty heard the creaking of the door and his head spun toward it. His training as a fireman had given him amazingly fast reflexes, and it showed as he was on his feet and running toward the sound seconds after hearing it. Rosalie, seeing her husband's flight, left Bella's side the second after she told her father that the man in the tuxedo was not actually Jasper, and ran behind Emmett, realizing immediately who he was chasing.

Try as he might, Emmett was not nearly fast enough to catch up with James, who, with his head start, had gotten out to the parking lot and slipped into the car that he was meant to drive away from the chapel in with his wife, and sped away. The tires screeched as he turned the corner all too quickly, and a moment later, Rosalie caught up to Emmett, standing at the edge of the parking lot, his hands on his knees, bent over in frustration and anger.

Placing her hand on her husband's broad back, Rosalie, still breathing hard from her sprint, looked into the distance at the place where the car had just disappeared.

"I don't understand," he said. "Who the hell was that?"

Emmett rose and turned toward his wife, his brow furrowed. "Not Jasper, that's for damn sure," was her reply.

James sped through the streets of Forks, glad that it was a quiet town with a small police force, meaning he need not worry about speed traps today. He was furious, his knuckles nearly white as he gripped the steering wheel tightly, still in shock that his plan had been unsuccessful.

"So damn close!" he raged, squeezing the wheel even tighter, wondering if it was possible to break it with his grip. "God damn that motherfucker! How in the hell did he even get out of the house?"

James continued to vent his frustrations aloud, despite being alone in the car. He had checked Jasper's bonds twice the night before when he stopped by the house to leave provisions for him, and they were secure. The house was actually an abandoned hunting cabin, set back pretty far into the woods, so he was sure that no one had happened upon it and rescued his brother. So how in the hell had he escaped? James could not figure it out. All he knew for sure was that, next time, he wouldn't leave the asshole alive long enough to let him escape.

Oh yes, the next time. James may have failed on this attempt, but he was in no way less determined to make Bella his. He knew, without a doubt, that Bella Swan had been made for him, and him alone. He _would _win her over. He just needed a better plan.

For now, though, what James Rivera needed was to escape, and to disappear. He would work on his next attempt while remaining under the radar, undetectable, unnoticed, just like he had in the past, until everything had calmed down once again. He would not be surprised if Jasper took Bella somewhere to hide for awhile as well. But that did not worry James; he'd track Bella down, no matter where she was. He always did.

Knowing exactly what he needed to do, James drove the car toward La Push. He doubted that anyone would expect him to drive there, as the reservation dead-ended into the Pacific at the cliffs; not really the best route to take when one is trying to make an escape. But, as always, James had a plan.

What James did not know, however, was that Emmett and Rosalie had not given up on finding him, despite his large head start. He had an advantage, yes, but Emmett had grown up in this small town, and knew every road and hiding place. And he had Rosalie, who had gotten the full story from her mother via telephone when Charlotte called her from the back of the ambulance, and an angry Rosalie was unstoppable force.

Rosalie, immediately upon hanging up with her mother, called the police station and found Emily, the squad's receptionist, who had just the information she needed. Being the small town that Forks was, a car driving at several times the legal limit down the usually quiet streets drew attention. Several calls had come in to the station to report this driver, which most of the citizens assumed was impaired. Emily gave Rosalie the information that she had, which indicated that the stolen bridal car was on it's way to the Quiluete reservation, and then the women hung up the call so that the receptionist could send Officer Clearwater after the car as well.

Emmett sped up once Rosalie let him know where they were going, determined to catch the man that dared to harm his best friend and the young woman that he loved as if she were his own sister. Taking several shortcuts that he had discovered during his mischief-causing days in high school, Emmett found himself within sight of the black sedan.

"Oh hell yeah," he exclaimed as he saw that the car he was chasing was headed down a road which Emmett knew ended at the cliffs with no other outlet. "We can block that dumb shit in now," he said confidently, seeing that James was stuck. "We just gotta sit here and wait for Clearwater to get here, and then this sick bastard will be done."

Emmett, who was grinning at his wife somewhat smugly as he told her his plan, was confused to see horror mar his wife's beautiful features. He was just about to ask her what was wrong when her sharp gasp led him to follow her line of vision and look out through the windshield of the car to see what had made her react that way.

He could not have prepared himself for what he saw. "What the hell was that fucker thinking?" he whispered, reaching over to take Rosalie's hand in his own as they watched the black sedan drive right off the edge of the cliff.

While his sister and brother-in-law were busy chasing the man who had held him hostage the last few weeks, Jasper was laying in a bed at Forks General Hospital, being thoroughly checked over by Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Bella sat in a chair near the foot of his bed, nervously fidgeting. It was not normal practice for Carlisle to allow loved ones to stay in the room while he cared for a patient, but the young lovers had, it seemed, been through a terrible ordeal, and refused to be separated from each other. Getting Bella to move to the foot of the bed to give him the space that he needed to work had been the most he was able to achieve.

After a short explanation of what had brought Jasper to the hospital, Carlisle began his examination of Jasper by noting the most obvious of his injuries, which included several broken ribs, 2 boxer's fractures in his right hand, numerous bumps and bruises, ranging in color from dark purple to a very faded yellow, and several large wounds that needed stitching.

"I'm going to have to send you for some scans, Mr. Whitlock," Carlisle announced as he made notes on Jasper's chart. "With as many obvious injuries as you have, I'm worried about the possibility of internal bleeding and damage to your organs. You're also showing signs of malnourishment, so when you get back from the scans, we'll need to insert a line to start counteracting that."

Jasper nodded, indicating his understanding, and then looked over to Bella, hearing the soft sniffles that she was obviously trying to hide. "It'll be alright, Sugar," he said, hoping to reassure her. "I'm a tough guy, you know that. This isn't gonna keep me down for long, right Doc?"

Dr. Cullen wanted to reassure his patient, but he was reluctant to be overly optimistic before he had seen the results of the scans. It was obvious to him that Jasper had been beaten rather badly, and more than once. Not wanting to scare the young lovers more than necessary, however, he chose the simplest answer he could give while still being honest.

"I certainly hope not, Jasper. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to ask your nurse to call for radiology. I'll be back to see you again once I have the images in hand, and we'll proceed from there."

Bella and Jasper both thanked Dr. Cullen as he walked out of the room. Bella was relieved when he shut the door behind him. She knew that he was the best doctor in Forks, and for that reason she was glad to have him treating Jasper, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit uncomfortable around him after having dated his son for several years when she was younger. His absence from the room also meant that she could be by Jasper's side once again, and she was holding his hand against her cheek before the door had clicked shut. She knew that there were many things that they needed to talk about, but, at least for the moment, she just wanted to be close to him.

After giving his instructions to the nurse, Dr. Cullen made his way into the room of his next patient, Peter Whitlock. Carlisle chuckled a bit as he realized who he was treating. "You know, we don't offer family discounts here at Forks General, Mr. Whitlock."

Peter acknowledged his doctor with a slight smirk. "I always did like a good father son outing," he said, his speech a bit slurred.

Carlisle shook his head, noticing the slur. "I gathered from the story your son told that the wedding ended early. I'm assuming that you didn't go to the reception, but were you drinking prior to the wedding?"

Peter immediately responded to the negative. "No sir. Not a sip of anything other than water today."

Carlisle nodded. "Did you hit your head during the scuffle at the church?"

"I..." Peter paused a moment to think, his brow furrowed. "I'm not sure, doc. I know it hurts like hell now, though."

Taking notes of all of this information, Carlisle began his examination. He knew before even beginning that Peter had a moderate concussion, and easily confirmed his guess with a look at his patient's dilated pupils and the large bump on the back of the head, which he also noted would need stitches. A thorough check of the rest of him, which was aided by a portable ultrasound machine, revealed that Peter also had a cracked rib and a bruised liver.

When he was finished, Carlisle let Peter know that he would send the nurse to him in a few moments with some pain relievers and some tape for his rib, and then advised him to get plenty of rest in the next few days. He would have stayed a few minutes to chat with the man, but Carlisle still had patients to see, and it was clear that Peter really wasn't up for conversation. Bidding his patient goodbye, the doctor made his way back to the nurse's station with his orders.

A few minutes later, Carlisle was in the room of the local police chief, the third patient to have come in from the brawl that took place at the Whitlock-Swan wedding. It was a testament to Carlisle's professionalism that he could treat Charlie Swan, the husband of his former lover, as awkward as it was for him.

After a brief examination showed that the patient only injury was the cut on his chin that clearly needed stitches, Carlisle offered to close the wound himself so that the very antsy chief could out of his hospital room and begin his investigation.

Sitting so close to Charlie Swan, it was all Carlisle could do to keep his mind off of Renee. It had been over a year since the last time they had been together, and that terrible night when he had walked out of the shower to find his lover and his wife staring at him replayed over and over in his head as he sewed Charlie's skin.

Carlisle had never really loved Renee. He had enjoyed her company, surely, and the pleasure of having her in his arms, in his bed, had been immense. But Renee had never been more to him than a fling, a distraction. The way it had ended between them was a memory he wished he could forget, but there had never been a question in his mind that it would end. That didn't mean, though, he he did not miss the fire he had felt when touching her. He couldn't help but wonder, as he cut the thread after placing the final stitch, whether Renee was as passionate with Charlie as she had been with him.

"Did you just growl at me?" Charlie asked his doctor, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Carlisle was embarrassed. The sound had slipped from him against his will, and he did his best to cover the mistake by claiming that he had merely been clearing his throat. Desperately wanting to distract the chief, Carlisle took a moment to offer him some instructions on the care of the stitches, then quickly excused himself.

Charlie Swan watched his doctor leave the room, feeling incredibly suspicious. He had been a detective for a long time, and was therefore an extremely observant man. He didn't for a moment believe that the growl that he had heard could be explained away as Carlisle had tried to do, and he thought it odd that the man would behave in such a way toward him. While it was very possible that Carlisle was simply angry with Charlie for having arrested his only son, the chief strongly suspected there was more to it.

For the moment, though, he would put these questions aside. After all, he had a very odd situation to investigate.

Carlisle Cullen stepped into the hall and found two nervous women waiting for him. He smiled slightly, a small gesture to let his patients' families know that he had good news, and immediately saw Charlotte Whitlock's body relax.

"Are they alright, doctor?" she asked.

Before he had a chance to answer, a chime announced the elevator doors opening, and a breathless couple emerged and began running toward the group, the young woman calling for her mother's attention as she approached.

"Mama!" Rosalie McCarty called out, waving her arm wildly. Charlotte, as well as Renee and Dr Cullen, turned toward her. Rosalie did not stop running until she reached her mother, and then threw her arms around her, holding her tightly.

"Are you alright Rosie?" Charlotte asked, pulling back from the hug to look her daughter over from head to toe, then turned to Emmett, checking him over as well.

"I'm okay, Mama. We followed...James?" Rosalie replied, remembering Bella using that name, but not really knowing who the man was. "But couldn't catch him. And then... Oh god, Mama."

Rosalie stopped speaking, still in shock over what she had just witnessed. "He drove over the cliff in La Push," Emmett finished for her, running his hand over his wife's hair in an effort of comfort.

Carlisle and Renee both looked on with furrowed brows, both wondering who James was, as Charlotte gasped, then shook her head sadly. "Sweetheart," she addressed her daughter, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You and Emmett should go in and talk to Chief Swan while Renee and I get the information from Dr. Cullen. Let him know what you saw."

Rosalie nodded, and allowed Emmett to lead her into the room to the right.

"Now," said Charlotte, turning her attention back to the doctor. "I believe you were fixin' to tell me about my husband and my son?"

Carlisle smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yes. Peter should be just fine. He has a cracked rib and a bruised liver, both of which will heal on their own, as well as a fairly bad concussion, so I'd like to keep him overnight for observation, just to be on the safe side."

Charlotte breathed a small sign of relief for her husband, but her shoulders remained tense as she waited, hoping for the same sort of news about her son. "And Jasper?"

"Jasper's condition is much worse than Peter's, but so far I've found nothing severe, though I am waiting on the results of a few scans. At this point, I can tell you that your son will be staying with us for at least a week, until we can get his body the fluids and nourishment it needs, as well as keeping him comfortable with some pain medications. It is my hope that the scans indicate no further problems for your son."

Carlisle's kind smile was one of the qualities that made his patients and their families so comfortable with him. There was no doctor in town who could rival him in bedside manner, and Charlotte was certainly not one to disagree with that assessment.

"May I see them?" she asked.

"Of course, Mrs. Whitlock," Carlisle replied. "But you may want to check on your husband first – your son already has company."

Charlotte smiled, certain that, after all they had been through, Bella and Jasper needed to have some time alone. "I'm sure he's well taken care of, then. You'll let me know when there's news from your scans?"

Carlisle nodded. "I will."

A moment later, Charlotte was in her husband's room, fretting over him as he tried to shrug off her concern, insisting that he was fine, and Dr. Carlisle Cullen was left standing alone in the hall with Renee Swan, his ex-lover and the wife of his current patient.

Carlisle smiled at Renee, determined to be a professional. Renee, however, took his smile to mean something else entirely and took a step closer to the man that she still had feelings for, despite everything.

"Hello, Carlisle," she said, so softly that it was almost a whisper.

"Renee," he replied, fighting the urge to let his eyes wander down from her face to enjoy the way that the neckline of her dress framed her breasts. He swallowed hard, willing himself to focus. "Charlie is doing just fine. I gave his some stitches but otherwise he was fine, just a little sore. I've already released him."

"That's good," Renee whispered. While she was relieved that her husband was not injured badly, she was having a difficult time focusing her mind on him with Carlisle standing so near to her. She reached a hand out, resting it on his arm.

They hadn't spoken to each other since the night at the cabin, their only communication having been the typed letter that Carlisle had left under her door. She should have been angry. She wanted to be angry. But she couldn't be, not when she still felt the sparks as her fingers ghosted over the smooth skin of his forearm.

Carlisle felt it too. He opened his mouth to speak, desperate to end whatever was happening between them before the air in the hall got any heavier with sexual tension. Already he was finding it difficult to breathe. "I..."

Renee's breaths were coming harder now as well, and she took another step closer to him. Carlisle couldn't fight the urge any longer, and looked down, taking in the sight of her ample cleavage wrapped in a deep purple satin, licking his lips. He could not understand why he was finding it so impossible to fight the urge to touch her.

"Me too," she breathed, responding to his unfinished thought.  
Carlisle looked up again as she spoke, his eyes stopping this time on her full lips, watching them move to shape her words. He remembered those lips well, and all the ways she had used them. He was just about to give in to the temptation when the sound of a door opening startled him. Carlisle quickly moved away from Renee, the moment between them shattered as Charlie Swan stepped into the hallway.

Renee quickly ran over to him. "Honey, are you alright? Dr. Cullen said you needed stitches!"

"I'm fine," Charlie replied gruffly. "But I've got a lot of work to do. I need to know what happened in that church, who the hell that asshole was that looked just like Jasper, and I've got a car accident to investigate. Is Bella alright?"

"She's just fine, Charlie. She's in with Jasper now," Renee replied, smiling.

"I've got to go check on Jasper's scans; they've just been brought down," Carlisle interrupted. "I'll see you both later."

Charlie and Renee nodded as the doctor walked away, and Renee tilted her husband's chin up to take a look at his wound, needing the reminder of which man she was supposed to be with. "I'm glad you're alright, Charlie," she whispered.

Charlie nodded. "I'll see you at home later?" Renee agreed, and walked over to take a seat in the waiting room so that Charlie could begin his investigation.

As Renee took a seat, she barely missed catching a glimpse of Esme Cullen, who had come to the hospital to bring dinner for her husband, as she got into the elevator at the end of the hall, still carrying the tupperware container. Esme had not gone to see Carlisle in his office, having seen enough of her husband as he stood in the hall with Renee Swan.

A/N: Come on, tell me what you think! Is Jasper really okay? What happened to James? And what is Esme going to do now? Find out next time, on To Have and To Hold.


	8. 8

**A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns all recognizable elements of Twilight. I'm not guessing she'd approve of what I've done to her characters, but I like to think she'd enjoy it anyway, lol.**

**Thanks, of course, to Lacym3, who is awesome enough to drink malt liquor in parking lots and dance the night away with me, as well as keep me enthusiastic about this story and help me make it better. I love you, Lacy.**

To Have and To Hold

Chapter 8

Dr. Carlisle Cullen took the test results and medical chart from his nurse before walking into Jasper Whitlock's room. Bella was sitting on the edge of his bed, and she and Jasper were holding hands. Both looked up hopefully as Carlisle entered.

"You got news for us, Dr Cullen?" Jasper asked.

Carlisle flipped through the top few papers which contained the radiologist's reports, and then looked up at Jasper, frowning. "I'm sorry, Mr. Whitlock," he said. "I don't have any answers for you just yet. It looks like I'm going to need to do some more tests."

Jasper sighed heavily. It wasn't the good news he'd been hoping for.

"It seems that you have sustained some damage to your kidneys. How severe it is, and what this means for your health, are answers we won't have until we run some blood tests," Carlisle announced.

"Can I get some kinda hint, what I'm looking at here, Doc?" Jasper asked as Bella squeezed his hand.

"It's hard to say, really. It could be as simple as bruising, which would require nothing more than a bit of rest on your part to heal. On the other hand, we could be looking at kidney failure caused by the trauma you've sustained. In that case, you would need to begin a regimen of dialysis, leading to a kidney transplant."

The news hit Jasper and Bella hard. While it wasn't yet certain, Dr. Cullen's worst case scenario was a very hard blow. While neither had ever doubted the danger of the situation with James, Jasper's escape and their subsequent reunion had given them both a moment where they felt safe. Invincible, even. That moment had just been crushed.

Carlisle, seeing the fear in both of their eyes, gestured to Angela, his nurse, to wait a few moments to take the blood from Jasper, and instead stepped forward, taking a seat in the chair beside the bed.

"Listen, Jasper, I don't want to lull you into some false sense of security here. The reality of your situation is that you've been badly malnourished and beaten, and now your kidneys are showing up dark on your scans. I'd like to hope for the best, but we really do have to prepare for the worst right now. I can promise you, though, if the worst does turn out to be facing us, we will deal with it. Alright?"

There was no question that Carlisle Cullen was an excellent doctor. His medical skills were second to none, but it in was his bedside manner that he truly shone. This was just another example of that.

Jasper nodded slowly and turned his head to press a soft kiss onto Bella's forehead. "Alright then, Doc. Let's do this."  
Jasper held his arm out, and Angela, after taking a moment to glance at Dr. Cullen to check for his approval, crossed the room and began the procedure to collect Jasper's blood. Once the sample was gathered, Carlisle announced that he would be back in the morning with the test results, then he and Angela left the lovers alone to begin processing the latest news as well as everything else that had happened to them.

…...

Renee sat in her studio, singing softly to herself as she stood before her easel, taking a moment to admire her work. It was the first time she'd felt the presence of her muse in months; the first time that she'd picked up her paintbrush and creating anything besides a splatter of paint dripping down the canvas after she'd thrown it in frustration.

A smile crossed Renee's face as she realized that she was quite happy with the piece. A few touches here and there and she'd be done. As she set down the brush to pick up a sponge, her smile suddenly faded. Taking another look at the canvas, guilt washed over Renee in heavy waves as she realized exactly why she'd been able to paint again after so long. _Carlisle._

Just like the first time he'd walked into her life, Carlisle had awoken her creativity and helped her to find her muse. And she hated him for it. Or, more accurately, she hated herself for it. She wanted more than anything to forget that Carlisle Cullen had ever entered her studio, had ever held her in his arms, had ever kissed her lips. She wanted to be inspired by anything other than the man who had filled her heart, then crushed it with three words. _I'm sorry. Goodbye. _She repeated the words over and over in her head, trying to banish him from her mind.

When Renee turned back to her canvas, she took a deep, steadying breath and tried to paint again, doing everything in her power to keep Charlie Swan at the forefront of her mind. Instead, she stood staring at the canvas, realizing that, the harder she tried to control her own thoughts, the more impossible it was to paint.

After standing for a few moments frozen in place as she contemplated, Renee closed her eyes, hung her head, and just breathed. When she opened her eyes, she lifted the sponge to the canvas and once again began to sing softly as she re-immersed herself in the painting.

Renee was too caught up in her work to register the sound of the studio door opening and closing as Charlie let himself in. Realizing that she had not yet noticed him, Charlie made the decision to stand back for a few moments and take in her work. It had been so long since he'd seen her create anything in this studio other than a mess; he wondered what had inspired her today.

Looking over his wife's shoulder, Charlie took in the painting. He had been married to the woman long enough to have learned how to look at and understand her work, despite having known nothing of art when they first met.

In the center of the canvas was a heart, upon which he saw bandages and stitching. The heart itself was painted on a background of thick black brush strokes, strokes that had bore the trademark signs of an angry Renee, and was stretched out in its upper part, being pulled in either direction by two hands. Charlie found himself uncomfortable looking at the painting, but he remained silent, not wanting to distract Renee while she was working.

Finally finished, Renee stepped back from the easel to admire her work. She stared at it thoughtfully for a moment, noticing the tiny details that she added without thinking, such as the different shadings on the heart that made it appear bruised. Just as she let the smile cross her lips, Charlie called her name and Renee let out a surprised shriek.

"Sorry," he said as she jumped. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright," Renee replied, her hand covering her fast-beating heart as she attempted to calm herself. "I didn't hear you come in."

Charlie nodded. "I know. I've been here awhile. You were pretty caught up in your work. Nice to see you painting again," he added with a smile. Renee blushed a bit and fumbled for words, but Charlie pretended not to notice. "Listen," he said, then paused for a bit to furrow his brow and run a hand through his hair. Charlie had just gotten a lot of information from the Whitlock family, and he was pretty damn uncomfortable with most of it. "Did Bella say anything to you, or did you notice anything off about her since her accident?"

Renee shook her head. "Nothing that couldn't be explained by the fact that she had amnesia. Why?"

"The man on the alter with her today? Not Jasper. Jasper's been held hostage for weeks by a twin brother that he never knew he had. And worse, Bella's known that. Almost the whole time. I just..." Charlie shook his head, sighing heavily. "I just don't understand why she didn't tell us."

Walking over to her husband, Renee placed a hand on Charlie's bicep and rubbed slowly, trying to calm and comfort him. "I knew it. I _knew_ that something was wrong with Jasper these past weeks. He was off. But who the hell ever would have guessed _this_?"** Charlie muttered.**

Charlie was sick with guilt and worry. He blamed himself for Jasper's injuries, for the risk to Bella's safety...all because he did not follow up on his instinct.

Sighing again, Charlie wanted to take his mind off of the case for a bit. He looked up at his wife's easel and examined her artistry once again. As he stared at the stretched heart and the two hands that held it, he couldn't help but think back to the moment he walked out of his room at the hospital. Renee and Dr. Cullen had been standing too close – they'd jumped in a way that suggested guilt when he'd walked into the hall. Charlie had been questioning whether Renee might have feelings for Carlisle ever since she began fighting him for Edward Cullen's release, but between her actions today and this painting...

Charlie decided in that moment that it was time to start following his instincts again. He wasn't chief of police for nothing, after all.

"Renee, what made you decide to paint today?" he asked, doing his best to make his voice sound merely curious, rather than accusatory.

Renee looked back over her shoulder at the painting, then back at her husband, who could see the wheels turning in her head. "I don't know... I guess, um, Bella's wedding inspired me," she said, stuttering through her reply.

Charlie knew that she was hiding something, but he wanted fact to back him up, so he decided to play it cool for the time being. "Well, I'm glad to hear that," he said, then turned and walked back toward the door. "I'm going to have a beer and relax. I'll see you later, Renee."

…..

Back in his hospital room, Jasper Whitlock was ready to talk to his girlfriend about everything that had gone on while they were separated. He had plenty of questions of his own, and he didn't doubt that she needed answers as well.

Glancing down at the beautiful girl sitting beside his bed, he thought back on James's behavior while he had held him in the basement, and chills went down his spine.

"Bella," he whispered, stroking the side of her face. "Bella, I need to know. Did James hurt you?"

She looked up at him, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "Everything he did to you hurts me, Jasper. Don't you know that? Every day that you were gone hurt me. Every second of wondering whether he would break his promise and kill you..." Overcome by tears, Bella could not finish her sentence.

"How long did you know that he wasn't me?" Jasper asked after Bella had calmed.

"It was about a week and a half after he took you. When he was trying to get out of our house, he knocked me down the stairs. I was unconscious for a few days, and then I woke up with amnesia. Once Dr Cullen allowed me to go home, I started to remember things, a little bit at a time. I figured it out the night that he took his shirt off in front of me..." Bella trailed off, reaching her hand out to touch Jasper's abdomen over his hospital gown.

"Bella," he choked. "Did he?" Jasper couldn't finish the sentence. He wanted to know. Needed to, even, but he could not make himself say the words.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head both to stress her answer and try to erase the memories. "When I didn't see a scar, I knew something was wrong. I faked cramps and he let me be. The next day he realized that I knew who he was. Well, who he wasn't, at least. He told me everything... He showed me your picture and told me he'd kill you if I didn't marry him."

Jasper reached up and grabbed a fistful of his own hair, tugging it forcefully. He was having trouble understanding how Bella had known for weeks and yet continued to put herself at risk. "God damn it, Bella! Why didn't you tell someone? Why didn't you tell your father?"

"I was scared, Jas," she whispered, looking into his eyes, pleading with him to understand. "He wanted me enough that I knew he wouldn't hurt me. But I was scared to death for you. Even if you were away from me, you were at least alive. I was desperate to keep you that way."

"Never again, Bella," he demanded, shaking his head. "Don't you ever put yourself in danger like that for me again. My god, Sugar, when I think of the things he could have done to you..."

Jasper swallowed hard as he slammed his fist against the mattress. Charlie had informed him that James had driven off of one of the cliffs in La Push and that the car exploded on impact. There was little reason to doubt that James was dead, but that didn't make Jasper feel any better. He wanted to bring him back to life just to kill him with his bare hands.

Bella put her hand over his still-tight fist, gently stroking his knuckles with her thumb. "I won't make that promise, Jasper," she said softly. "I do not regret taking a chance to protect you. I'd make the same choice again if I had to."

Jasper closed his eyes and shook his head. It was just like his father told him the first time he brought Bella home to meet them: he had his hands full with this one.

"Baby," she called. "What about you? How bad was it for you?"

He sighed before he spoke. "It was pretty damn awful, to be honest. James came by about once a day to bring food." Jasper grimaced. "If you could call what he brought 'food' anyway. It was usually something more like pig slop on a farm. But when you're hungry enough, you'll eat."

Jasper paused, letting go of a heavy sigh. He knew that Bella needed to know, for her own mental well-being and he needed to be strong for her, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold it together. "I was bound to the wall by my ankles, but I could walk around a little bit, just not very far, and my wrists were always tied when James wasn't there. When he was arrived in the evenings, James wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be a threat to him while I was eating, so he'd..." Jasper paused again, steadying himself, determined to hide the waver in his voice. "He beat me pretty badly before he untied my hands. He always left my ankles tied though."

"And then, almost worse than the physical violence, I'd have to listen to him bitch and whine about how awful his life had been while I _ate_." The last word came out in a choked tone. The memory of James's "meals" passing down his throat brought up a mouthful of bile that he forced himself to swallow back.

"He saved the worst for the end, though. As he re-tied my hands, he'd tell me about you." Just as he had when he'd been in James's basement, Jasper lost it at this point. The recollections of his captor's words filled his head and it was like having headphones blasting death metal directly into his ears. Jasper allowed the tears to fall as he shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force away James's taunting. "He'd tell me about your body and your voice and the wonderful dinner you'd made for him...whatever he could think of to hurt me worse."

Jasper stopped talking, unable to take any more of the memories, and he realized that Bella had heard more than enough anyway as she shuddered and sobbed into his bed sheets. Seeing her like this, so broken, he pushed back all the bad memories and summoned up all of his courage so that he could be strong for Bella. He reached out and began rubbing her back.  
"It's okay, sugar. I'm home now. Everything is going to be okay now."

"You don't know that," she said through her tears. "I could have lost you. I still might... I can't, Jasper, I just can't..."

Jasper decided at that moment that it they had been separated long enough. "Come up here with me, Bella," he said, patting the bed.  
She looked up at him for a second, wondering if it was against hospital policy and fearing that she might somehow hurt him worse, but the need showed in his eyes, and Bella knew without any question that she would give this man anything that he needed. She stood up and climbed into the bed, laying down beside him so that her head was in her favorite spot, right against the front of his shoulder, her face nestling into his neck.

Jasper sighed happily, relieved to finally have the love of his life in his arms, but his moment of peace was quickly interrupted by her giggles.

"What?" he asked.

"How long has it been since you had a shower?"

"You are so lucky I'm stuck where I am because of all these damn tubes and a nightgown that shows my ass, sugar..." Jasper said teasingly, only to be answered by more giggles.  
"I love you, Jasper," she whispered. "Even if you _do_ smell terrible."

Jasper tilted her chin up towards him, and leaned down, speaking against her lips. "I love you, Bella." Then he pressed his lips to hers and was finally home.

…..

Edward Cullen sat at his piano, absently playing Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_ as he wondered whether the flowers he'd ordered had been received. He knew that his stint in the town jail so close to the beginning of their relationship was not necessarily helping his case, but Edward knew that he had put enough into his efforts with her before their separation that she'd come back. She might need a bit of persuasion, but she'd be back. After all, he was Edward Cullen.

Feeling a bit smug, Edward finished the piece and moved directly into Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# minor.

"That's one of my favorites, you know," Esme called from the front door as she entered the house, setting her purse on the end table and carrying several containers of food back to the kitchen.

Edward furrowed his brow as he watched his mother, thinking it was a bit odd that she returned with the food that was meant for his father, but continued to play. He'd get answers when she returned to the living room, he was sure.

A few moments later, Esme sat down on the couch to the right of Edward's piano and lost herself in the music for a moment. The moment did not last long, though, as Edward stopped playing at the end of the song and turned to face her.

"Did you find out anything about the wedding, mother?" he asked.

"No, your father was...busy. I didn't get a chance to talk to him." Esme shook her head and sighed. She was still quite disturbed by the sight she had encountered at the hospital. All this time, Esme had been certain that Renee Swan had tried, and failed, to seduce Carlisle. After the scene at the hospital, however, Esme wondered if Renee had ever stopped trying. Even worse, she wondered if Renee's efforts were still failing.

Fighting tears, Esme stood up. "I'm sorry, son. I've got quite a headache, and as much as I'd like to spend your first evening home with you, I think it's better if I go lay down." She walked over to her son and kissed him gently on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning, Edward," she said.

Edward watched as his mother walked down the hall to her room. He thought that she seemed a bit off, but hoped that it really was only the headache that she mentioned. Wanting to respect that, he decided not to play his piano anymore, and instead sat down on the couch to picked up the remote. He didn't really want to watch television, after all, he'd been in jail for weeks. There were several other...activities...that he'd much prefer to engage in.

He had barely clicked the power on when his phone began to ring. He reached for it, hoping that it might offer him a better alternative for the evening. Glancing down at the caller ID, his lips turned up into a salacious smile.

"Hello, Victoria."

**A/N: I'm excited to hear what you think... **

**Next time, on To Have and To Hold, Jasper gets his test results, we see why Victoria is calling Edward, and there is a meeting between a Swan and a Cullen. Which ones? You'll have to wait and see.**


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